Hanukkah celebration set in Yelm for Dec. 15 with menorah lighting ceremony at Yelm City

The City of Yelm will partner this month with Chabad Jewish Center of Olympia as in light of the Hanukkah holiday, a giant Menorah lighting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15 at Yelm City Park.

Rabbi Yosef Schtroks, a director of Chabad Jewish Center of Olympia alongside his wife, told the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Dec. 1, that the Menorah ceremony will be held on the second day of Hanukkah, which is on Monday, Dec. 15. You can RSVP for the event online at JewishOlympia.com/yelm, and learn more about the Hanukkah holiday at JewishOlympia.com/Chanukah.

“Hanukkah starts this year on the eve of Sunday, Dec. 14, and it goes for eight days and nights. It finishes on Monday, Dec. 23. Hanukkah is a time when we celebrate around the Menorah, a candelabra, which has eight branches — one for each night of the holiday,” Schtroks said. “We are going to light up a giant Menorah at Yelm City Park on the second night of Hanukkah on Monday, Dec. 15. We’re excited for this Menorah lighting and Hanukkah celebration. It’s always a blast.”

Schtroks noted there are roughly 1,500 Jewish people residing in Thurston County, and about 50,000 Jewish people who live in the greater-Seattle community.

“The numbers are perhaps a little smaller in this county. At the same time, there’s a fantastic family feeling in our smaller, close knit community,” Schtroks said. “Truthfully, what’s special about Hanukkah is it’s not only a Jewish holiday, but the Menorah has a universal message for people of all backgrounds. The idea of small, incremental acts of goodness and light can dispel a lot of darkness, just like the Menorah.”

Schtroks said the giant Menorah first came to Yelm in 2018 after “some horrific events and shootings” occurred in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which affected Jewish people around the United States and the world.

“We said we wanted to do something to add in light, not to focus so much on the dark events but to use this as a springboard to add more light,” Schtroks said. “We have a giant Menorah that’s been in Olympia for 20-years and always lit up downtown. My wife and I direct the Chabad Jewish Center here in Olympia, and we service Jewish people from Yelm. We reached out to the mayor and city council, and they were enthusiastic about making this happen.”

In the seven years since the giant Menorah lighting’s first ceremony in 2018, Schtroks said each year has honored the Jewish holiday in a tremendous way. He noted that the event typically features Hanukkah treats like potato latkes, jelly donuts, chocolate gelts, along with crafts for children, music, games and the Menorah lighting as the cherry on top.

“That’s the main observance of the holiday, even outside the giant Menorah. Jewish people will celebrate this holiday by lighting Menorahs in their own homes every night,” he said. “Hanukkah can be a source of light for people from all backgrounds, whether you’re Jewish or not. Hanukkah can be a source of light in your life, and that’s why we’d like to invite the community to come celebrate with us on Dec. 15th at Yelm City Park.”