Spokane community gathers to celebrate lighting of first candle of the Menorah

SPOKANE, Wash. — Tuesday marked the first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, after a suppressed group of Hebrews – known as the Maccabees – rose up against their Greek suppressors back in 165 B.C.

Tradition says that when the Hebrews went to light the temple’s Menorah, they found only one tube of olive oil that was supposed to last one night, but miraculously burned for eight days.

On Tuesday, members of the Spokane community gathered to celebrate the lighting of the first candle of the Menorah, near the Rotary fountain in Riverfront Park. Organizers of the event said prayers, sang songs, danced, and ate traditional food. The holiday lasts eight days, and will end at sundown on December 20.

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