Hanukkah

It’s a time of shimmering candlelight, the scent of evergreens, sparkling decorations, time spent with family and friends. It's also a season of hope.

It seems more important than ever this year at Hanukkah to commemorate the ancient miracle and the resilience of the Jewish people and to mark the way forward with light, a symbol of hope piercing the darkness that envelopes the world during this extraordinarily difficult time.

Members of Temple Israel of Riverhead marked the beginning of Hanukkah this evening with a community menorah lighting.

Temple Israel of Riverhead held a community menorah lighting ceremony last night to mark the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins today at sundown.Temple Israel of Riverhead will host a community menorah lighting on the Peconic Riverfront today at 5 p.m.

Rabbi Michael Roscoe of Temple Israel of Riverhead led a brief service and lit the first light on the menorah Sunday night on the riverfront. .

Temple Israel of Riverhead invites the community to come together for a menorah lighting on the Peconic Riverfront Sunday evening to celebrate Hanukkah.

“It’s a reminder to everybody that religion in this country is open to all and government stays out of religion — that’s why we do a public ceremony," Temple Israel Rabbi Michael Rascoe said.

At the heart of Hanukkah is the nightly menorah lighting, commemorating the miracle of a one-day supply of oil lasting eight days when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated in the second century BCE.

The North Fork community marks the beginning of the eight-day festival of Hanukkah tonight with a ceremonial menorah lighting in Riverhead and tomorrow night in Greenport.