Chanukah’s Strength in Jacksonville

By Deirdre Conner – Jacksonville.com

Perhaps it was fitting that the start of Hanukkah landed on a day threatened by rain and cold. An afternoon such as this needed the eight-day festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness.

The Jewish holiday began at sundown on Sunday, celebrated in part by a gathering of the faithful at the Jacksonville Landing.

Between conflict abroad – especially the terror last month in Mumbai, India, in which some of the dead were Jews targeted by attackers – and increasing economic hardships at home, the holiday’s message of good defeating evil is one that is resonating with many people of the Jewish faith this year, said Rabbi Nochum Kurinsky, the spiritual leader of Chabad at the Beaches in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Kurinsky himself feels it strongly. The afternoon included a service remembering those killed in the November terror attacks, including a classmate of Kurinsky’s: Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah, who ran Chabad House in Mumbai.

The customary 30-day memorial for them will fall during Hanukkah, Kurinsky noted. And the question for him was this: “What would Gavi want us to do? What would Rivkah want us to do?”

The only thing to do was this, he said: “Bring life and light and goodness to the world … one mitzvah (good deed) at a time.”

On Sunday, that took the form of a procession to the Landing and a celebration there, welcoming all.

Among those who came to enjoy the festivities were Doris and Philip Moskowitz, who traveled by train from Coconut Creek to be with family.

Over the next few nights, they’ll share presents and the the story of triumph over adversity.

“It’s a joyous holiday, and one to be proud of,” Doris Moskowitz said. The example of a small group persevering despite long odds, she said, is a message that everyone can learn from.

A storm front was approaching, and the balmy weekend was giving way to a gusty wind and a grey chill.

As night drew near, they lit the giant menorah – a light against the dark.