THE LOOP — It's officially holiday season for the roughly couple hundred thousand Jewish people living in metro Chicago.
Tuesday marked the first night of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday celebrated by lighting a branch of the Menorah each night for eight days to commemorate a small amount of oil that stayed lit for eight days.
"Hanukkah is, of course, all about freedom and the miracle of the oil," said Steven Nasatir, the president of the Jewish United Fund and Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. "It's about moving from dark to light."
In 2010, there were approximately 290,000 Jewish people living in metro Chicago, according to a study done by the organization. This is the most recent data available, according to Joel Schatz, director of news and information at JUF.
Nasatir lit the first candle in front of dozens of JUF employees in the lobby of their building at 30 S. Wells St. Tuesday at sundown.
He went on to explain that while "horrible" things are happening around the world like the hostage situation in Australia and terrorism in Pakistan, it is important that Jewish people "remember what we've been taught through the years, our own traditions and that struggle so many years ago."
"Here in our community and the Federation in many ways, we see [forces of light] every day, in a positive good way," he said naming some of the ways, which include people helping others, continuing Jewish traditions and supporting Israel.
After the group recited three blessings, Nasatir used the shammus to light the first Hanukkah candle. The Menorah is lit from left to right.
Employees were then offered jelly-filled doughnuts and potato pancakes, which "aren't just snacks," Schatz explained, adding that they should remind people of the importance of the holiday because they are cooked in oil.
Jewish people also celebrate the holiday by spinning the dreidel and giving gifts each night.
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