‘Kindling the lights’: Perry 7th grader hosts menorah lighting ceremony

PERRY, Ga. — The celebration of Hanukkah is a commemoration of the rededication of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. Two thousand years later, and halfway around the world, the city of Perry came together to celebrate the holiday.

The event came to fruition fueled by the vision of local 7th grader Lilah Hutten.

The community gathered on Wednesday night for a menorah lighting ceremony at Perry United Methodist Church. At the inaugural event, the atmosphere was festive and joyful, despite the rainy weather.

Ethan Hutten spoke first to the crowd circling the menorah. He has lived in Perry for 20 years, and was thrilled to see the community come together.

“I can’t tell you how proud we are, excited we are to come to Downtown Perry and light this beautiful menorah, with all these wonderful people here,” Ethan said.

He then thanked the church for providing the venue, and introduced his daughter, Lilah, who inspired and organized the event.

Lilah celebrated her bat mitzvah, a coming of age ritual in Judaism, on Oct. 29. As she explained, when she turned 13, she received the rights and obligations of a Jewish adult.

A crucial part of the bat mitzvah is creating a community service project, and she explained that she wanted to foster a spirit of unity in the community, a common theme throughout the ceremony.

“I knew that I wanted to organize an event that would bring people together in a fun and positive way,” Lilah said. “So, I chose to organize the first ever Hanukkah menorah lighting here in Downtown Perry.”

She also took the event as an opportunity to share her faith and culture.

“As part of the few Jewish families in Perry, I thought it was important to share our customs and traditions with our community,” Lilah said. “I believe it is important to express who you are as a person.”

She closed by thanking the church for the venue, Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein of Congregation Sha’arey Israel for his mentorship, her family for their guidance and the community for attending.

After Lilah spoke, Rep. Shaw Blackmon and Perry Mayor Randall Walker spoke on unity within the community, wishing everyone happy holidays.

After Blackmon and Walker, Rev. Tom Carruth, pastor of Perry United Methodist Church, said a few words to the crowd, opening by praising Lilah for her bravery.

He then reflected on his studies of Hanukkah during his time in college and seminary, and expressed excitement in participating in the custom.

“This is just fun,” he said. “This is a lot of fun for us, and we thank you for letting us be a part of it, too.”

Finally, Rabbi Rubinstein spoke, thanking the church and the community as well. He then spoke on the celebration as a whole, emphasizing unity and reflecting to celebrations practiced in Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.

“That’s really what drives the celebration of Hanukkah here, kindling the lights within this community as an uplifting gesture for all of us,” Rubinstein said. “On this fourth night of Hanukkah, I want to share this light with you, crossing the lines of religion and nationality, ethnicity and gender.”

Rubinstein called on the community to come together once more and celebrate each other, quoting a song lyric from “Scarlet Begonias” by the Grateful Dead.

“Once in a while, you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right,” Rubinstein said.

After the speeches, Rubinstein recited the traditional blessings before the candles were lit, inviting the community to join him.

Then the menorah was illuminated with five lights, signifying the four nights celebrated so far at the time of the event, as well as the central Shamash: a candle that lights the other eight candles on the menorah.

The ceremony closed with the singing of traditional Hanukkah songs. Attendees also received hot chocolate and gift bags with snacks, a dreidel and chocolate coins.

Looking towards the future, Trischelle Hutten, Lilah’s mother, said the event would take place annually. This year, Hanukkah’s eight nights of celebration started on the evening of Dec. 18, and will continue until the evening of Dec. 26.

HHJ News