Rabbi Bradley G. Levenberg's Chanukah Message for 2024

For our Chanukah holiday issue, we invited members of our community to share their responses.

“As we light the first candle of Chanukah this year, we celebrate not only the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days but also the vibrant, ever-evolving Jewish community of Atlanta. This year marks a monumental milestone: The Atlanta Jewish Times is about to celebrate 100 years of publishing, which means 100 years of covering Chanukah celebrations in Atlanta. This landmark moment offers us an opportunity for reflection, and reflected in the glow of the holiday candles is a story of our resilience and growing pride.

A century ago, Jews in Atlanta observed Chanukah quietly, often at home, mindful of the pressures to assimilate and remain unnoticed in the broader Southern culture. Fast forward to today, and our celebrations of this Festival of Lights have grown into public, joyful statements of Jewish identity, solidarity, and tradition. From the menorah lighting at the Atlanta Hawks game (12.24 this year!) to community-wide festivals and school celebrations, the lights of Chanukah shine in our metro community in a way that would have been unthinkable a century ago.

In the last 100 years, Atlanta’s Jewish community has flourished from a small pocket to a thriving and diverse population. This celebration of Chanukah is more than just about lighting candles; it is a testament to the strength of our heritage and the ways in which we have woven Jewish life into the fabric of the city itself.

So, cheers to 100 years of public celebrations of Chanukah in the ATL- and to many more! Cheers to the Atlanta Jewish Times on 100 years of publishing- and to many more! And cheers to our growing, thriving, and exciting Jewish community, which is certainly worthy of celebrating this year and for many more to come!”

Rabbi Bradley G. Levenberg, PhD is a senior rabbi at Temple Sinai.