HANUKKAH

HANUKKAH
Jewish holiday
Two free events will highlight the Youngstown-area Jewish community's annual eight-day celebration of Hanukkah. Known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah commemorates the first struggle in recorded history for religious freedom. Hanukkah runs today through next Saturday. Call (330) 746-3251 for more information about either program.
The annual community menorah lighting ceremony will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at Eastwood Mall. The eighth annual menorah lighting, co-sponsored by Children of Israel Synagogue and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, will include the illumination of a 10-foot-high menorah, the largest in the Mahoning Valley, and musical presentations by pupils from the Oscar Altshuler Akiva Academy and the Commission for Jewish Education. Traditional Hanukkah foods such as potato latkes (pancakes) and gelt (chocolate coins) will be available for children.
A Hanukkah party and open house will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Akiva Academy in Youngstown. The event, which falls on the fourth night of the holiday, will kick off with the lighting of a large menorah at which each pupil will light four candles on his or her own menorah. The pupils will then perform Hanukkah songs and readings. After the program, refreshments, gelt, and dreidles (spinning tops) will be available for all participants.