Meadow Ridge Shines Bright with Hanukkah Celebration
‘Meadow Ridge Celebrates Hanukkah’ was written by Pamela Brown and published in the Redding Sentinel’s December 19th edition.
Embracing the Festival of Lights
Highlights of the Hanukkah Party
The party was held in the auditorium and featured food, music and socialization providing time for attendees to reflect on the meaning of the holiday. “This event brought the Jewish community together. Residents who are not Jewish also participated and learned more about other religions and traditions of their neighbors and friends,” said JoAnn Brandt, Director of Resident Life. “You did not need to be Jewish to attend. The more the merrier! It’s an event that the community looks forward to.”
Traditional Music by East Rock Klezmer Band
Music was provided by the East Rock Klezmer Band who took the stage and performed music that offered a traditional Jewish sound while honoring the musical sensibilities of contemporary audiences. “They are a local band and they have been coming here for as long as we can remember. They are a crowd favorite playing lively Klezmer music,” said Brandt.
Celebrating Hanukkah at Meadow Ridge
A dinner featured traditional foods, including latkes with applesauce or sour cream, rugelach and decorative Hanukkah cookies. Wine and soft drinks were served.
An important part of the event was the lighting of the menorah. It called back to the “Miracle of Hanukkah,” when a small amount of oil lasted eight days to light the menorah in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean revolt against the Greeks in second century B.C.
“We had several menorahs throughout the community. The residents gathered at the one near the front lobby each night at sundown,” said Brandt. Once Hanukkah began on December 25, a candle was lit each day for a total of eight days. After the lighting, a special prayer and blessings were read in both Hebrew and English and the participants sang traditional Hanukkah songs, including Rock of Ages, in both Hebrew and English.
A Personal Connection to Tradition
“It was a great celebration. It made me feel I’m fulfilling something in my faith and it also brought back a lot of memories of when I did this when I was a little boy with my parents. I can still remember the menorah we had in our house and I remember having a good time lighting it with my children,” said Silbersher, who took part in the lighting ceremony. “My Jewish faith is very important. It’s what I grew up with, it’s part of who I am. I enjoy it, I support it, I express it. I’ve had an extensive Jewish orthodox education when I was a little boy. This event demonstrated to us Jewish people how supportive Meadow Ridge and Benchmark is to our community here.”
The Joy of Tradition and Community
Resident Beulah Schwaeber, also participated in the event. “I tried to attend the lighting of the menorah every night because it makes me feel good. I love the songs we sang at the lighting of the candles and especially the Hanukkah party. It’s a fun holiday and the food was great, especially the latkes,” said Schwaeber. “I have a menorah in my apartment and I lit the candles all of the eight days. It reminds me of my childhood and sharing the holiday with my parents and sisters. Hanukkah is special because it is a joyous holiday and it was a miracle.”
A Celebration of Joy and Unity
“It’s a joyous atmosphere that brings the community together as they celebrate the miracle of the candle staying lit for eight days,” said Brandt. Silbersher offered a special message to all for the new year. “We should all try to come together in bonding and friendship and brotherhood. Let’s all pray that all of this hostility, wars and aggression dissolve and we can enter a new year with a new period and be brothers and decide to coexist.”