With traditional Klezmer music playing, Calgarians celebrated the start of Hanukkah with the lighting of the menorah at City Hall on Monday evening.
The annual celebration, organized by Chabad Lubavitch Alberta, first began in Heritage Park 30 years ago.
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an annual eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the 2,100-year-old battle for religious freedom, as well as the rededication of Jerusalem’s Second Temple
Mayor Naheed Nenshi donned a yarmulke as he lit the candelabra.
“Tonight we light the menorah for Hanukkah, reminding us that here in Calgary, especially in this time of giving, we all come together as a community,” he said.
“I hope that everyone chooses this as a time to think about how we can build community and how we can give.”
Hanukkah runs from Dec. 2 until 10.