Celebrating Chanukah
NYCHA’s Organization of Jewish Employees (Batei Tsibur) held its annual Chanukah celebration via Microsoft Teams on December 20, 2022 (26 Kislev on the Jewish calendar). Chanukah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 139 BCE.
Guest speaker Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin, co-founder of Congregation B’nai Avraham in Brooklyn Heights, spoke to participants about the miracles that occured during that time. He said that in commemoration of these miracles, each one of us is like a candle that has the power to shine light on someone else’s life through an act of kindness or goodness; that can be as simple as saying “good morning” or giving a helping hand to make a difference in someone else’s day. He also discussed other ways to learn and grow, and how to dispel darkness through the light of tradition and knowledge.
After Rabbi Raskin’s talk, a contest on the history of Chanukah was held – with questions from the Rabbi’s discussion as well as academic sources – and the top three winners received gift cards.
