MOLINE, Ill. — Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — starts the evening of Thursday, Dec. 7, and lasts until Friday, Dec. 15. For eight consecutive nights, Jewish people will gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah.
In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem during the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.
With the tiny supply of ritually pure oil that they found in the temple, they lit the menorah — and it stayed lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle, as well as the emphasis on cooking foods in oil such as potato pancakes called latkes, memorialize this miraculously long-lasting oil.
Here's a look at events celebrating Hanukkah in the Quad Cities this year.
Don't see a Hanukkah event on the list? Let us know by sending us a message through our "Contact Us" page, and we'll add it to the list.
Hanukkah 2023 with Chabad Lubavitch of the Quad Cities
Chabad Lubavitch of the Quad Cities, which offers education, outreach and social service programming about Jewish culture, is hosting a series of events for Judaism's "Festival of Lights."
- On Dec. 10, the organization will have a Car Menorah Parade travel through Bettendorf starting at 2285 St. Andrews Cir., where Chabad Lubavitch is located. Line up starts at 4 p.m. with the parade departing at 4:30 p.m.
- The parade will end around 5:30 p.m. at the corner of 18th Street and 53rd Avenue, where the lighting of a 9-foot menorah will take place. Latkes, donuts and hot drinks will be available. It's the organization's 18th year hosting the public lighting.
- On Dec. 13, Chabad will host a Family Chanukah Celebration at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, starting at 5:30 p.m. Called "Chanukah in Chocolate Land," this event will feature a buffet dinner, latkes, donuts and more.
- Those in need of a menorah can contact Chabad Lubavitch at (563) 355-1065.
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