photo by: Shawn Valverde/Special to the Journal-World

Bart Littlejohn lights the first candle on the menorah outside the Lawrence Public Library on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.

Ahead of Thursday night’s menorah lighting to celebrate Hanukkah, the Lawrence rabbi helping to lead the celebration said the event — symbolizing the idea of light over darkness — was symbolic for a number of reasons.

Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, co-director of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life, said Thursday’s was the 18th Community Menorah Lighting in Lawrence, and 18 has a special significance in Jewish tradition. In Hebrew, the number 18 has a similar sound to the Hebrew word for “life,” and Tiechtel said the community’s 18th lighting “symbolizes the strength of the local Jewish community.”

But the celebration this year feels particularly important because of the uptick in antisemitism in the U.S. and across the globe, Tiechtel said. According to data from the Anti-Defamation League, there were more than 10,000 recorded antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel last year.

Hanukkah’s historic roots stem from the successful revolt against the Syrian-Greeks who ruled over Judea in the 2nd century B.C. and oppressed the Jewish people by outlawing their religious rites. In the end, the Jewish revolt against the oppressive rulers was successful, giving rise to Hanukkah’s central message of the triumph of light over darkness.

The backdrop of a resurgence in antisemitism deepens the meaning of Hanukkah, Tiechtel said.

“Our objective is to show we are not afraid, not intimidated, and we need to stand tall and proud,” he said.

This is a busy time for Tiechtel, whose Chabad Center recently broke ground on a new, two-story facility on 19th Street near the University of Kansas campus, which will serve as a hub for Jewish culture in northeast Kansas.

Tiechtel said the group has gotten tremendous support for the $5 million building and that the facility should be open in 2025. He said the new Chabad Center is the first time a Jewish center is being built “from the ground up” in Lawrence. Although it will mostly serve KU students, Tiechtel said, the project has received generous support from the community as a whole.

“People are excited about this,” Tiechtel said. “It’s going to be a beautiful edifice on 19th street that’s going to be an icon for the entire community, not just the Jewish community. It’s going to be a beacon of light.”

That story of coming together and creating a beacon of light is the message Tiechtel hoped to convey in Thursday’s menorah lighting celebration in front of the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St.

“I hope everyone who attends will be inspired to be a part of this light and positivity and show anybody in the community regardless of faith that they can be embraced and comfortable with who we are,” Tiechtel said ahead of the event. “Nobody should ever have to cower in fear because of their religion or beliefs.”

photo by: Shawn Valverde/Special to the Journal-World

Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel speaks in front of a crowd gathered at the Lawrence Public Library on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, for a menorah lighting ceremony.

photo by: Shawn Valverde/Special to the Journal-World

A drone holding a menorah flies above the crowd outside the Lawrence Public Library on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.