Menorah Lighting Event With Goodies Set For Ridgewood This Week

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ready to get into the holiday spirit?

Towns throughout New Jersey will be lighting the menorah starting this Thursday, Dec. 7 at sundown to celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. Ridgewood is among them.

Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for dedication. The eight-day observance commemorates the time when the Jews rose up in the Second Century B.C. against leaders who wanted to suppress their religion and worship, known as the Maccabean Revolt.

As lore has it, a group of sheltering fighters had only enough olive oil to light one candle on their menorah, but it lasted eight days. (A menorah is an ancient candelabrum with several branches, designed to light a temple more brightly.)

(Do you feel like it's too soon to prepare? In 2024, the holiday will start at sundown on Dec. 25!)

Here are the details of Ridgewood's celebration:

• Annual Chanukah Menorah Lighting Presented by the Jewish Community of Ridgewood, Temple Israel and JCC, and the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey
• 5:30-7 p.m.
• Memorial Park at Van Neste Square
• "Come and celebrate the lighting of the menorah, with live music and lots of goodies being given out, during this 11th annual event."

See Destination Ridgewood's post here for event information and optional donation information.

While Hanukkah is a popular observance because of the celebrations, it's not the most religious holiday in Judaism. The most significant holidays include Passover, which commemorates Israelites' escape from Egypt (April 22, 2024); Rosh Hashana, which marks the new year (Oct. 2, 2024); and Yom Kippur, the most solemn of the Jewish religious holidays, when Jews seek to make up for their sins and reconcile with God (Oct. 11, 2024). And again, next year, Hannukah will begin at sundown on Dec. 25, 2024.

Patch editor Beth Dalbey contributed to this report.