FIRST TIME FOR GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT- WILL ATTEND PUBLIC PRE-CHANUKAH CEREMONY - WILL TAKE PLACE AT FOOT OF GIANT MENORAH ON SOUTH LAWN

Governor Abbbot at Private Ceremony sponsored by Chabad in 2015

FIRST TIME FOR GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT
WILL ATTEND PUBLIC PRE-CHANUKAH CEREMONY - WILL TAKE PLACE AT FOOT OF GIANT MENORAH ON SOUTH LAWN
AUSTIN, TX — Texas Governor Greg Abbott will and take part in a pre-Chanukah ceremony at the foot of the Texas Menorah in front of the South Lawn of Texas State Capitol in Austin on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 4:45pm. Chanukah this year is from December 24th to January 1st.

Members of the Jewish communities across the state are expected to gather and participate in this celebration. Leaders of the Austin Jewish community as well as other Texas cities are expected to attend.

The event is sponsored by Chabad of Austin, with the participation of Jewish communities throughout Texas, including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and El Paso. Rabbi Yosef Levertov, Director of Chabad of Austin, will conduct the ceremony.

“The lighting of the menorah at the Texas Capitol is a wonderful symbol of the religious diversity that is the hallmark of Texas and of this great country”, said Rabbi Yosef Levertov. “Everything is bigger in Texas, so our Menorah is bigger too. We are honored that Governor has chosen to participate in this celebration”.

The celebration will include music, traditional Chanukah foods such as Latkes, fried potatoes patties, donuts, and dancing.  

Heidi Rosenberg who is looking forward to attending the public menorah lighting commented, "I want my kids to grow up with pride in their Jewish heritage and a feeling of equality and self-confident as an American. Chabad Lubavitch’s Chanukah Menorahs are arguably one of the most important developments ever to help my child’s education.”

This year brings added significance as American Jewry marks 75 years since the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, came to America and laid the groundwork for the worldwide Hanukkah campaign that he set into motion in 1973.

Today, the unprecedented public display of Hanukkah has become a staple of Jewish cultural and religious life, forever altering the American practice and awareness of the festival. This year, Chabad-Lubavitch will set up more than 15,000 large public menorahs in more than 90 countries around the world, including in front of landmarks such as the White House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Kremlin.
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Throughout the State of Texas, Chabad will be presenting scores of Chanukah events and celebrations, including public menorah lightings, giant menorahs made out of ice and Legos, Menorah Parades, Latkes parties, Giant Dreidel Houses, “Chanukah Wonderlands” and more. To find a local event in Texas or practically anywhere throughout the world, visit www.chabad.org/ChanukahEvents. For more information about Chanukah and a local schedule of events visit chabadaustin.com.

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EVENT RECAP:
Who: Governor Greg Abbott, Rabbi Yosef Levertov, Rabbi Mendy Levertov, Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff
What: Pre-Chanukah Celebration Under Texas Menorah,
Where: South Lawn of the Texas Capitol
When: Wednesday, December 21st, 2016
Cost: Free
ABOUT CHANUKAH
Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, begins this year on the evening of Saturday, December 24 and concludes the evening of Sunday, January 1. It recalls the victory of a militarily weak Jewish people who defeated the Syrian Greeks who had overrun ancient Israel and sought to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life and prohibit religious freedom. They also desecrated and defiled the Temple and the oils prepared for the lighting of the Menorah, which was part of the daily service. Upon recapturing the Temple only one jar of undefiled oil was found, enough to burn only one day, but it lasted miraculously for eight. In commemoration Jews celebrate Chanukah for eight days by lighting an eight-branched candelabra known as a Menorah. Today, people of all faiths consider the holiday a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness. Additional information about the Chanukah holiday is available at www.chabad.org/Chanukah.

ABOUT THE SPONSORING ORGANIZATION
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Chabad of Austin offers Jewish education, outreach and social service programming for families and individuals of all ages, backgrounds and affiliations. For more information, contact Rabbi Mendy Levertov, Chabad of Austin, at 512-905-2778 or visit chabadaustin.com.