Akiva's Hanukkah event commemorates Tree of Life slayings

YOUNGSTOWN

“Stronger Together,” the theme of Akiva Academy’s 2018 Hanukkah celebration Thursday at Congregation Rodef Sholom, was inspired by the slaying of 11 members of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27.

Some 140 students in kindergarten to eighth grade celebrated the first day of Hanukkah by performing dance, skits and plays reflecting the theme by showing that all should stand up against hatred, anti-Semitism and racism, said Tirtza Kohan, an Akiva teacher and coordinator of the program.

It began with the lighting of the Star of David and a Hanukkah menorah.

Read more about the event in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.