As Palm Beach residents and visitors prepare to observe the eight-day Hanukkah celebration, which begins a sundown Dec. 12, local rabbis are offering their perspectives on Hanukkah’s enduring message.
Rabbi Abraham Unger, executive director of New Synagogue Palm Beach, said the holiday recognizes the survival of the Jewish people during a time of widespread assimilation and oppression, as it commemorates the Jewish people’s triumph over Greek-Syrian control more than 2,000 years ago.
“We were invited to join the most powerful community of that era, ancient Greek civilization, and we opted to sustain our own traditions,” he told the Daily News. “It is not that we shunned all aspects of the world around us. Indeed, the Jewish value of education engages with all wisdom, but we understood our culture was vital not only for us, but as a light unto the world. The ancient Greek tradition disappeared as a living culture, but we remain. Our light continues to shine no matter what history brings our way.”…