Lighting of the Menorah
Symbolic of the City of Key West’s ‘One Human Family’ motto, a Menorah and a Christmas tree illuminate Bayview park Thursday evening, following the City’s Menorah lighting ceremony. Conducted just before sunset, the lighting typically signals the beginning of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. However, since the beginning of Hanukkah falls on Saturday this year, which is also Christmas Eve, the Menorah lighting was held two days early to accommodate City workers, said Rabbi Jacob Zucker from Chabad of the Florida Keys, who, along with Rabbi Shimon Dudai from Congregation B’Nai Zion, offered Hanukkah blessings before the lighting. The Lighting of the Menorah is one of many celebrations that occur during the island-wide Key West Holiday Fest, which is presented in part by the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys & Key West and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and runs through December 31. For more information on holiday happenings, visit KeyWestHolidayFest.com. (Photo Carol Tedesco/Key West Holiday Fest)