As in Jewish communities throughout the world, from December 1st through 9th, the Jewish community in Russia celebrated Chanukah. Festivities got underway on December 1 on Moscow’s Manezh Square where Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar lit a huge public Chanukah Menorah. On December 5, the Kremlin Palace hosted the “Man of the Year 5770” event. This event included a concert and an awards ceremony for the "Man of the Year 5770" sponsored by the FJC Russia. This is the most prestigious prize awarded by a Jewish organization in Russia and one of the most prestigious prizes awarded by a non-governmental organization.
At a public celebration held in Russia’s northern capital on December 5, Chief Rabbi of S. Petersburg Menachem Mendel Pewzner lit the fifth candle of a seven-meter-high Chanukah Menorah, after which the festivities continued with Jewish music and dancing.
In the first few days of the holiday, public candle-lighting ceremonies took place in other locations as well. For a number of years already, a Menorahs were erected on Perm’s October Square and in front of the Puppet Theater, with ceremonies held all eight days of celebration. The Jewish community of Barnaul, led by the Chief Rabbi of the Altai Region Yisroel Noah Kamenetsky and the community’s chairman Vitaly Shatkov, lit the first candle of the large Menorah erected on the city’s central square.
Frigid temperatures did not prevent residents of Birobidjan from coming to one of the city’s squares to celebrate Chanukah with their fellow Jews. Birobidjan Mayor Alexander Parkhomenko and the chairman of the “Freud” Jewish community of Birobidjan, Rahmil Leder, lit the first candle of a three-meter-high Menorah. The ceremony also involved two young rabbis, Eli Riss and Jacob Astiz, who arrived from Moscow at the behest of Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar. Afterwards, a major gala concert took place at the Palace of Culture.
On December 6, the Nizhny Novgorod Comedy Theater hosted a Chanukah gathering, coinciding with the award ceremony for local “Man of the Year” awards. The awards were given to people who have made an invaluable contribution to the spiritual, intellectual, and moral development of the Jewish community of Nizhny Novgorod.
The Jewish community of Yekaterinburg celebrated Chanukah with a major concert, where Sverdlovsk Region Governor Alexander Misharin congratulated the Jewish community and lit the “shamash” candle of the Chanukah Menorah. Chief Rabbi of Yekaterinburg Zelig Ashkenazi said the blessing and lit the other five candles for the fifth night of the festival. The opening speech was delivered by Yekaterinburg Mayor Eugene Porunov. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the lively cultural program presented by Efim Alexandrov, Honored Artist of Russia, entitled “Songs of the Jewish Town”.
As for the Jewish community of Syktyvkar, the capital of the Komi Republic in Russia’s north, about two hundred people marked the Festival of Light. They enjoyed a performance by Baruch Finkelstein, the chief cantor of the S. Petersburg Choral Synagogue.
In the North Caucasus city of Nalchik, the synagogue hosted a Chanukah gathering. In the prayer hall, members of the local Jewish community came together. With great interest, adults and children listened to the story, told by Chief Rabbi of Nalchik Levi Shabaev, about the origin of the holiday, its laws and customs. After saying the blessings and lighting the Chanukah Menorah, students from the “Achdut” Sunday School recited poems and sang songs about the holiday. All of the children received Chanukah dreidels from Rabbi Shabaev.
Chanukah celebrations in Oryol were led by Chief Rabbi of the Central Federal District, Zev Wagner, who informed the audience that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his decision to transfer the historical synagogue building to the Jewish community of Oryol under the “Shalom Center.” Festivities included an evening concert put on by Sunday school children and a klezmer ensemble from Kharkov.
In total, Chanukah in Russia was celebrated in more than 200 Jewish communities in 180 different cities.