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Hanukkah's bright lights
By AMY ABBOTT
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 21, 2000
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, will be celebrated with dinners, carnivals, gift sales and the lighting of menorahs. The eight-day holiday, which begins tonight at sundown, recalls when Jewish soldiers recaptured the Holy Temple and lit a flame that burned for eight days with one day's supply of oil. Here is some of what area synagogues and community centers have planned:
MENORAH LIGHTING/CELEBRATION: It's not every day you see a 14-foot menorah flicker into luminous being. Tonight at 6 p.m., Young Israel of Tampa will mark the beginning of Hanukkah with the lighting at 2001 Swann Ave. in south Tampa. A party is planned on Saturday; potato latkes will be served, and an educational program will explore Hanukkah's significance in modern times. Call (813) 220-9287.
STUDENT MENORAH LIGHTING: The Israel Jewish Center at the University of South Florida will light a 10-foot menorah at noon Friday outside USF's Marshall Center. The menorah was constructed by the student organization, and everyone is welcome to attend. Call (813) 832-3018.
VARIETY SHOW: Congregation Beth Israel, a Messianic synagogue in Odessa, will offer a Hanukkah variety show from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday at the synagogue, 13018 Gunn Highway. Members of the congregation will perform skits about Hanukkah with a modern twist and a sense of humor. All are welcome and admission is free. Refreshments will be available. Call (813) 920-0864.
HANUKKAH PARADE: The Jewish Community Center/Jewish Federation is sponsoring a torchlight parade on Sunday in Carrollwood. The parade begins at 5:10 p.m. at the Winn-Dixie parking lot on Gunn Highway at Lynn-Turner Road and continues one mile to the JCC campus just east of Veterans Expressway. Shuttles from the campus to the Winn-Dixie will run every 10 minutes, starting at 4:30. The parade finishes at 6 with a lighting of the menorah. A party follows the parade. Entertainment includes music, dancing, a juggler and an art exhibit. Tickets are $8 at the door for adult JCC members, $6 for members 12 and under, $10 for non-member adults and $8 for non-member children. For information or to RSVP, call the JCC at 264-9000, ext. 218.
DANCE: The Men's Club and Sisterhood of Congregation Kol Ami, also in Carrollwood, will hold a dance, variety show and candle lighting ceremony from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday at the synagogue, 3919 Moran Road. There will be food and entertainment, and at 6, the festivities conclude with the lighting of an eight-foot menorah. Members of Kol Ami and other synagogues are welcome, and admission is free. Call (813) 962-6338.
EXTENDED GIFT SHOP HOURS: South Tampa's Schaarai Zedek synagogue, 3303 Swann Ave., has extended hours in its Sisterhood Gift Shop. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. Call (813) 876-2377.
FUNDRAISER: Shopped at the mall anyway? You can have your presents wrapped at the Congregation Beth Shalom booth at Brandon Towne Center. The booth is open every day during mall hours until Christmas Eve, and proceeds go to the synagogue. Call (813) 681-6547.
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