Saugus observes Chanukah

Crowd gathers on front lawn at Town Hall for Menorah Lighting Ceremony

By Laura Eisener

In the late afternoon of Dec. 26, Saugus held its third annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony on the Town Hall lawn. Saugus joins many other towns across the Commonwealth in holding Menorah Lighting Ceremonies. One of the oldest is, of course, Boston, which has been lighting a menorah on Boston Common for 41 years.

Congregation Ahavas Sholom invited the community to attend the event, which symbolizes the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE and represents a celebration of light over darkness. The Menorah Lighting Ceremony is open to all, as it seeks to promote understanding and appreciation of different cultural traditions within our community. Congregation Ahavas Sholom has been part of the Saugus community for almost 100 years.

Many community leaders attended this ceremony, including Selectmen Debra Panetta, Jeff Cicolini, Michael Serino, Corinne Riley and Anthony Cogliano, and Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. Also attending were Tree Committee Chair Nancy Prag, Saugus Garden Club President Donna Manoogian, Saugus Historical Society President Laura Eisener and Vice President Paul Kenworthy and many others.

The first speaker, Debra Panetta, mentioned that a communal lighting celebrates the growing miracle of faith and family, as well as the peoples’ enduring spirit and cultural identity. Maureen Appel, president of the Congregation Ahavas Sholom sisterhood, described Chanukah as a holiday of victory and miracles. The first victory was the triumph of the Maccabees over the Greek army, who had destroyed the temples in Israel and subjugated the Jewish people. The second miracle was that as they lit the candles after that victory, all that was left was a single bottle of oil that would be expected to provide light for a single night, but somehow the oil lasted for eight nights.

For all those attending who were not familiar with traditions associated with Chanukah, Congregation Ahavas Sholom religious director Michael Simons explained that the menorah has nine candles, the central one being the shamash, which would be lit first and used to light the other eight candles, one each night. As with most public menorahs, the menorah in Saugus is electric. Two songs were sung, the second one summed up to mean “We are grateful for all the miracles you performed, not only for our people but for people all over the world.”

Retired pastor of Cliftondale Congregational Church and Army chaplain Robert Leroe gave the closing prayer. Traditional foods eaten during the eight days of Chanukah emphasize foods fried in oil, such as latkes and doughnuts. Jelly doughnuts, a traditional Chanukah treat, were served at the event along with hot cocoa.

The ceremony was filmed by Saugus Cable Television’s Clark Moulaison, and it can be seen on the cable channel this week as well as on YouTube.