Light of Recognition: Public Menorah Lighting Believed a First for Loveland

LOVELAND, CO — Rabbi Yerachmiel Gorelik was thrilled to have a standing-room-only crowd at possibly Loveland’s first public menorah lighting at sundown Sunday.

“For the first time in Loveland, happy Hanukkah,” said Gorelik of the Chabad Jewish Center of Northern Colorado in Fort Collins.

Gorelik greeted the nearly 200 people at the Loveland Museum/Gallery. Cold weather caused the menorah lighting to be moved from Peters Park outside the building to the museum basement.

Gorelik showed a short video on the menorah, an eight-branch candelabrum used in the Jewish faith to symbolize hope, religious freedom and perseverance.

The menorah celebrates the Jewish end to oppression more than 2,000 years ago when Jews revolted against Syrian occupiers who had desecrated the temple in Jerusalem.

At their rededicated temple, the Jews had only enough pure oil to burn for one day. The eternal flame, however, stayed lit for eight days until more consecrated oil was obtained.

“It’s really a story about the oil, a story of light that wouldn’t stop shining despite the darkness it found itself in,” Gorelik said.

Gorelik welcomed Loveland Mayor Gene Pielin to speak and then presented him with Loveland’s first menorah.

“This is the longest and darkest night, yet we’re going to have light shining through,” Pielin said in reference to the winter solstice and shortest day of the year.

The public lighting of the menorah is the type of ceremony that Loveland, which at nearly 65,000 population, should have, Pielin said.

“We’re a big city. We have people of every faith here,” said state Rep. Don Marostica, who spoke after Pielin.

Gorelik invited Marostica to light the shamash, the center light of the menorah. Marostica reached up with a lit white candle to begin lighting the seven-foot-tall menorah.

The first light was lit by 18-year-old Megan Dunn, a Loveland resident of Jewish faith.

Each day during the eight days of Hanukkah, one of the branches of the candelabrum will be lighted. This year, Hanukkah began at sundown on Dec. 21 and will continue through Dec. 29.

After the lighting of the menorah, the audience sang four Hanukkah songs, then had a chance to eat traditional Hanukkah foods such as doughnuts and potato latkes.

“It feels very special to be able to have a Jewish tradition that can be held in Loveland,” said Melissa McKean, a Fort Collins resident of Jewish faith. “I thought it was great.”