Mesa celebrates 1st night of Hanukkah with menorah lighting in heart of downtown

MESA, Ariz. - This year, for the first time in nearly two decades, the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah falls on the same day as Christmas. 

The city of Mesa decided to dedicate time on Wednesday to the beginning of the Jewish celebration. 

Speakers at the event say the lighting of the menorah and the event itself is about more than just the religious holiday but also coming together and celebrating our differences.

"Here in Mesa we're blessed to have one of the largest menorahs in the state of Arizona," said Rabbi Laibel Blotner, executive director of Chabad Jewish Center of Mesa.

The celebration was highlighted by the lighting of a 12-foot menorah.

"In many communities, Chabad puts up menorahs, but here in Mesa, the mayor came to us. We didn't come to him. It was truly something that I was touched and honored by," said Rabbi Blotner.

Mesa Mayor John Giles says the tradition of lighting the menorah on main street in downtown, honors the diversity of the city.

"We've got different faith traditions, different cultures that all come together in a really wonderful way," said Giles.

The night included singing of traditional songs and family time inside the post.

Giles added that the event sends a message of unity.

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"It seems like people are more at each other than they have been in the past and so this is a perfect time for us to focus on what we have in common, to focus on the miracle of light, on religious diversity and tolerance, I mean these are messages that could not be more critical," he said.

"As a Rabbi, to see such an expression of Jewish pride in an age where there is so much anti-semitism that's rampant, here we live in a community of Mesa that people of all faiths can feel safe," said Rabbi Blotner.

Blotner also shared how the lighting of the menorah signifies a choice to bring peace into the world rather than violence.

"A lot of people think that darkness, you have to get a gun and shoot darkness or you have to fight darkness. All you have to do when it's dark is light a candle. You do something positive and immediately the darkness goes away," he said.

Hanukkah lasts through Thursday, January 2.