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McALLEN — Just after 5 p.m. Sunday at Temple Emanuel, the doors to the sanctuary were closed as dozens of congregants awaited the start of the religious school’s annual Hanukkah program, “A Night of Music, Lights and Latkes”.
The lights dimmed and children from four to 18 years old danced and sang traditional Yiddish Hanukkah songs including “The Latke Song” and “O Chanukah,” among others that were sung in both English and Hebrew.
The program was coordinated by religious school directors Claudia Silberman and Elizabeth Schnaiderman.
“This is our fourth year performing for Hanukkah, but this year is better than ever,” Silberman said. “We all feel the need to come together during this difficult time. We recognize that Israel is undergoing a very difficult time. That’s why this year we implemented the Israel flags.”
The performances concluded with the entire congregation standing together and holding small Israeli flags while singing “Hatikvah,” the national anthem of Israel. Hatikvah is a Hebrew word meaning “the hope”.
“This year, we wanted to stay even more connected to Israel,” Silberman continued. “As Jewish people, we feel very proud and very strong. We stand with Israel all the time.”
The program concluded with presentations by Daniella Deutsch and Nicole Silberman, who each completed a confirmation project to benefit the community.
As the program concluded, the congregation moved into the Social Hall where tables were set up. The room was decorated with gold coins, dreidels and Stars of David hanging from the ceiling. Some tables at one side of the room had cookies with frosting and sprinkles for children to decorate.
At the other side of the room stood a seven-foot menorah, the distinctive candelabrum. As the congregation took their seats and talked excitedly amongst one another, Rabbi Nathan Farb called for the room’s attention.
“This is the —” he paused for a moment and counted the days before continuing, “the fourth night of Hanukkah, and we are so delighted to be celebrating together.”
He led his congregation through the blessing, lighting his own menorah. The rest of the congregation sang with the rabbi as they lit their own personal menorahs on their tables. Lastly, the large menorah was lit as the blessing came to an end.
“Happy Hanukkah!” the rabbi exclaimed. Soon after, the congregation formed a buffet line to fill their plates with chicken, green beans and latkes, a traditional fried potato pancake dish.
The festivities were part of Temple Emanuel’s Hanukkah celebration, and Sunday marked the fourth night.
“During these eight days of Hanukkah, we celebrate the miracle of lights,” Farb said, who has been the rabbi at Temple Emanuel since 2020. “We light candles every night. It’s a festive celebration in the Jewish community around the world and throughout history.”
The rabbi explained that since the miracle of lights is centered around oil, foods cooked in oil are featured throughout the eight-day celebration. The latke was the featured dish Sunday evening.
With the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the rabbi said that this year’s Hanukkah celebrations come with convoluted feelings for many of the Jewish faith.
“Hanukkah is always a celebration of Jews standing up for what’s right,” Farb said. “Even at times when it’s difficult, it’s always a symbol of pride in our historical connection to Jerusalem.”
He said that it is important for Jewish people to remember the mission of Hanukkah, which is centered around light.
“In Jewish tradition, we’re told not only that God’s light shines into the world, but that our job as human beings is to be like a lamp,” Farb said. “Our job is to be the light shining into the world. That’s exactly what we do. We are focused on helping people and building up our own community.”
Temple Emanuel is currently collecting unwrapped gifts that will be donated to the McAllen Police Department for its annual toy drive. The rabbi is inviting anyone who wishes to donate a gift to bring it to the temple before Monday, Dec. 18.
The gifts will be donated to the police department on Thursday during the UTRGV women’s basketball game against Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correctly reflect the deadline to donate a gift for the toy drive.
View staff photographer Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: McAllen’s Temple Emanuel celebrates fourth day of Hanukkah
