By Charlie Senack
A giant menorah will light up the Kitchissippi this year during the community’s upcoming first outdoor Hanukkah celebration.
On December 5, members of the public are asked to gather in the Osgoode Properties parking lot at 1285 Wellington Street West for the Grand Menorah Lighting. The event, which is organized by the Jewish Youth Library in Ottawa, starts at. 16.00
Rabbi Moshe Caytak, one of the organizers of the event, said the community needs something joyful now more than ever.
“Public menorah lighting is performed every year around the world, and it really is an expression of religious freedom,” he said. “It really means how to overcome the darkness of the world and how, with every good deed we do in the world, we illuminate the darkness. It takes just a little bit – just a candle – to illuminate the whole space.”
Community leaders including Mayor Jim Watson, Ottawa Center Member of Parliament Yasir Naqvi, and members of the Jewish community will attend. Hot chocolate and potato latkes will be served while the nine-meter-high menorah is lit.
The word “hanukkah” means “initiation” in Hebrew. The holiday begins on the 25th of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar – typically in November or December. Hanukkah is also known as the Feast of Lights, and the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah – a candle added every night for eight days – and with traditional food, games and gifts.
“Hanukkah is a very interesting holiday. The significance is over 2,000 years ago, when the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was broken into, all the oil became unclean and polluted,” said Rabbi Caytak. it for eight days. Every year, we not only remember the story – we actually relive it by increasing the light every day for eight nights. ”
With so much turbulence in the world right now, with the pandemic and beyond, Rabbi Caytak says it is important to make the light shine even brighter this year.
It’s really something we need to focus on all year round, ”he said. “We can never stop – we can never feel secure in our efforts. We need to continue to spread goodness and kindness – that light – to the whole neighborhood,” he said.
SAID Rabbi Caytak.
New library
The Jewish Youth Library in Ottawa has played a vital role in society for nearly 40 years. The library was founded in a local basement in the early 1980s and has now grown to house an extensive collection of books.
Until recently, the library ran out of the Chaya Mushka building, located at 192 Switzer Ave. The building, which also houses a Jewish Montessori preschool and a summer camp, closed shortly before the pandemic for renovation. When completed, the center did not have room for the library.
Devora Caytak – Rabbi Caytak’s mother, who founded the library with her husband Dr. Joseph Caytak – said they would then have to find a new home for their facility. In the summer of 2020, they came across a historically designated home for sale at 166 Huron Ave. N. They fell in love instead and bought the property to open a new facility where they could keep Jewish history and education alive.
“We are so excited to have our beautiful books, which have been in Dymon Storage for the past few years, back in circulation,” said Devora Caytak. “We have thousands of books; some of them are rare, precious books that are no longer in print. A library is an equalizer of goodness and kindness, and libraries build communities. This library will not only be open to the Jewish community, but to the community as a whole. “
The square, a 100-year-old house that received unanimous support for its conversion, is expected to open its doors to the local community in a few months. The original woodwork and stained glass windows remain intact, but bookshelves must be built. Devora Caytak says the library will have bright lighting and comfortable seating along with a high-tech coffee machine to make the place an inviting place for everyone in the community.
“We are very excited to be in the Westboro and Wellington West neighborhoods and open this library where we will have wonderful programs for adults and children of all ages,” said Devora Caytak. “It’s also divided into a teaching facility, so we want a lot of education programs and really something for everyone in the community.”
The school and the camps will continue to operate from their existing location, and this is seen as an opportunity to expand the Jewish presence in Ottawa. The center aims to be an inclusive learning space for all.
“Rabbi Joseph Yitzhak of Lubavitch once wrote that the world says that where a light appears, you can see hidden flaws. What Jewish doctrine says is that when a light appears, you can see another hidden beauty,” Devora said. Caytak. “A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness, and Hanukkah is a symbol of religious freedom; that we all have the right to believe and pray the way we want and unity through diversity.”
To learn more, visit jewishyouthlibrary.com.
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