Chanukah Finale Lights up River Walk

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Jason Wright dances on the top step of the Arneson River Theatre, carrying his 6-year-old son on his shoulders. Below him a sea of heads bob to the beat of music being pumped out from the stage.

The scene, in many ways, is not unusual for the River Walk. Only this time, many of the heads sport yarmulkes and the vocals accompanying the high-energy music is being belted out in Yiddish.

San Antonio’s Jewish community celebrated the eighth and final night of Hanukkah on Sunday with its 11th Chanukah on the River. At least 700 attended the event, packing the outdoor amphitheater to near capacity.

Wright, who has attended for the past three years, takes a break in his dancing to explain why it is so popular.

“This is a great opportunity for Jewish people to express their faith in a free country,” he said.

This year’s event, organized by Chabad Lubavitch of South Texas and Arts San Antonio, featured an 8-foot Lego menorah lit in honor of those who died in the terrorist attacks last month in Mumbai, India.

Rabbi Chaim Block, executive director of Chabad Lubavitch of South Texas, specifically mentioned Rabbi Gabi Holtzberg and his wife Rivka during the lighting ceremony. The couple was killed in the attacks in the Chabad-Lubavitch center in Mumbai.

“It hit very close to home because this was a Jewish center singled out because they were Jewish, and those inside were singled out because they were Jewish,” Block said.

Enough people attended the event on the San Antonio River on Sunday to fill 10 Hanukkah river barges. That’s up from only a single barge when the event kicked off 11 years ago. These boats, with battery-powered menorahs mounted on the bow, plied the river as the 500 or so passengers serenaded tourists with Hanukkah songs.

“We felt the need to do something to excite the children and share the joy and the meaning of the holiday with the general San Antonio community,” Block said. “We wanted to share the message of religious freedom and tolerance with the entire community, and we wanted to invite members of other faiths and ethnic backgrounds to come.”

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte welcomed the crowd Sunday before 8th Day, a popular Jewish band from Southern California, introduced South Texas to a loud pulsating brand of Yiddish.

The festivities turned more than a few heads on the River Walk, especially among University of Missouri and Northwestern University fans in town for today’s Alamo Bowl.

Several decided to take in the music and the atmosphere. These included Karen Laner and her 13-year-old niece Morgan, who made the trip from the Chicago area to cheer Northwestern.

“We just walked around the corner and there it was,” Laner said. “We were very surprised, but it’s very nice.”