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Residents celebrate Hanukkah at 25th anniversary of Warwick Menorah lighting

| 06 Dec 2018 | 03:03
    It had been raining lightly on Sunday evening, December 2, the first night of Hannukah, the beginning of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. But nevertheless a crowd of about 50 residents, including Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, Deputy Supervisor James Gerstner and Mayor Michael Newhard, gathered in Lewis Park as business owner Moshe Schwartzberg began officiating at the Menorah lighting of the first candle, a ceremony he has conducted for the past 25 years.
    It had been raining lightly on Sunday evening, December 2, the first night of Hannukah, the beginning of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. But nevertheless a crowd of about 50 residents, including Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, Deputy Supervisor James Gerstner and Mayor Michael Newhard, gathered in Lewis Park as business owner Moshe Schwartzberg began officiating at the Menorah lighting of the first candle, a ceremony he has conducted for the past 25 years.
    Moshe Schwartzberg lights the first candle.
    Moshe Schwartzberg lights the first candle.
    The crowd then headed down Main Street to Wolfies restaurant, a business he owns along with Forever Jewelers, where they were served refreshments including traditional latkes prepared by his wife, Doris.
    The crowd then headed down Main Street to Wolfies restaurant, a business he owns along with Forever Jewelers, where they were served refreshments including traditional latkes prepared by his wife, Doris.
    Doris and Moshe Schwartzberg pose with their grandchildren Oscar Carew and Sophia Fotino, both 6.
    Doris and Moshe Schwartzberg pose with their grandchildren Oscar Carew and Sophia Fotino, both 6.

WARWICK — It had been raining lightly on Sunday evening, Dec. 2, the first night of Hanukkah, the beginning of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights.
Nevertheless, a crowd of about 50 residents, including Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton, Deputy Supervisor James Gerstner and Mayor Michael Newhard, gathered in Lewis Park as business owner Moshe Schwartzberg began officiating at the Menorah lighting of the first candle, a ceremony he has conducted for the past 25 years.
Schwartzberg began the ceremony by telling the story of how the Temple of Jerusalem was built and then how it was about to be rededicated following its recapture after occupation and defilement by the pagan Syrian-Greeks under Antiochus IV.
A small band of fighters, led by Judah Maccabee, he explained, fought to preserve the Jewish religion and culture and their right to worship God.
Although greatly outnumbered by a much larger and more professional army they recaptured the Holy Temple, which had been defiled with idol worship and pagan sacrifices.
When the Maccabees sought to rededicate the temple, however, they found only one small cruse of oil to kindle the eternal light.
Miraculously, he explained, because God was pleased with what they had accomplished, the oil lasted for eight days. And that provided enough time for the holy oil to be replenished.
Schwartzberg also explained the origin of the shamas, the ninth candle used to light the others.
But before lighting the first candle he read the sacred prayers, first in English so that everyone would understand, and then in Hebrew, according to the tradition of the ceremony.
"Blessed are you Hashem our God King of the universe," Schwartzberg read aloud, "who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this season . . ."
And then he repeated in Hebrew, "Baruch ata Adonai . . ."
The crowd then headed down Main Street to Wolfies restaurant, a business he owns along with Forever Jewelers, where they were served refreshments, including traditional latkes prepared by his wife, Doris.
Schwartzberg then repeated the lighting of the shamas and the first candle with the Menorah placed in the restaurant.
- Roger Gavan