Bush helps light menorah

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hanukkah does not start until Dec. 25 this year but it was observed early at the White House on Tuesday evening.
President Bush helped light a 38-inch gold and bronze menorah, which was loaned to the White House by the Park Synagogue of Cleveland. He said the nation is grateful to American troops of all faiths who are away from their families this holiday season.
"We are grateful for our freedoms as Americans, especially the freedom to worship," he said. "We are grateful that freedom is spreading to still new regions of the world, and we pray that those who still live in the darkness of tyranny will some day see the light of freedom."
Hanukkah commemorates the Jews' successful rebellion against suppression of their religion under the Syrian-Greek empire in 165 B.C.
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