City and state dignitaries were among the several hundred people who gathered Sunday night in Old Town Square to celebrate Hanukkah with the lighting of a giant menorah.
“It is fabulous. After all of the controversy and things going on in the past week and the past year, it is nice to see their support,” said Jennifer Pustilnik, who attended the celebration with her children.
More pictures in the Extended Article!
Menorah Lighting Draws Hundreds
City and state dignitaries were among the several hundred people who gathered Sunday night in Old Town Square to celebrate Hanukkah with the lighting of a giant menorah.
“It is fabulous. After all of the controversy and things going on in the past week and the past year, it is nice to see their support,” said Jennifer Pustilnik, who attended the celebration with her children.
More pictures in the Extended Article!
U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, Fort Collins Reps. Randy Fisher and John Kefalas, the entire Fort Collins City Council, Mayor Doug Hutchinson and former Mayor Ray Martinez were among those at the third annual lighting, which was hosted by the Chabad Jewish Center of Northern Colorado.
The theme of this year’s menorah lighting was unity and community.
Rabbi Yerachmiel Gorelik, who led the lighting, said while in the past he and the council have not “exactly been going fishing together,” the festivity was a “prelude to a new era of unity and acceptance in Fort Collins.”
Hutchinson said at a time of year when symbols play such a large role in the community, the symbol of the menorah is universal.
“The menorah is a symbol of freedom and hope … if you believe that everyone deserves to live a free life, then you believe in the message of the menorah.
He added that instead of adopting proposed considerations to diminish holiday symbols in the city holiday display, the City Council chose to add to them and ”take a giant step to making a Christmas display that is more inclusive.“
”Let us build on them, let us add to them and let us respect them,“ he said.
Hutchinson also repeated a quote he used during the first Menorah lighting three years ago.
Marty Goldberg, the president of Temple Or Hadash, said the volume of people present for the lighting pointed to the unity in the city.
”It is wonderful when so many people come out, Jewish and non-Jewish, to help us celebrate this wonderful time of year,” he said.
The menorah will be on display at Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing, 5 Old Town Square.
aliya guys the first year of aliya
yerachmiel your amazing keep up the great work wow amazing to c how things were last year how you fought to keep menorah up and this year how you atract so many people this is the rebbes shlichas keep strong and keep up the great work