Religious and political leaders celebrated Hanukkah at the Statehouse on Monday, two days before the holiday begins at sundown on Wednesday.
Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, of Chabad of KU in Lawrence, kicked off the event with a theme of “Honoring Kansas’ Lamplighters,” a reference to Jewish teachings about spreading light in the darkness.
“There’s a very powerful teaching from King Solomon, who said that the soul of man is a candle of God,” Tiechtel said. “It is our duty and our mandate to be the light and let other people see as we go through life each day, it is our responsibility not only to take care of ourselves, but to shine our light so brightly so others behind us can see their way out of the dark.”
Gov. Laura Kelly used her remarks to denounce antisemitism and prejudice in Kansas.
“I will continue to call out and condemn antisemitism, racism and prejudice of any kind,” Kelly said.
Last year’s event occurred on the heels of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, as hate crimes against the Jewish population skyrocketed across the country. In Topeka, the city’s only synagogue Temple Beth Sholom was vandalized with the words “Free Palestine” and “Save Gaza.”