LENOX -- A fire performer brought light and an air of circus celebration to Lilac Park in Lenox as about 300 people gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.
Some people danced along to the up tempo beats of a Hanukkah medley, which featured a twist on Matisyahu's "One Day," substituting the words "One Light."
Many lifted their cellphones and recorded the action as "Jumpin' Joe" Janicki performed in a blue sparkling vest, creating geometric patterns with fire and appearing to eat flames.
Central Berkshires Chabad of the Berkshires slates Lenox menorah lighting for Hanukkah By Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle 2 min to read
While many of the revelers were Jewish and from the Berkshires, not all were.
Dr. Kady Rawal was in town visiting family for the holidays and decided to join the festivities with her husband and young child.
"Trying to find things to do today with the little one and looked up online that this was the highlight of what's happening in the Berkshires today," she said. "I have a lot of Jewish friends. I have a lot of Catholic friends. My family and I are neither Jewish nor Catholic. We're Indian, so we're Hindu, but back home in India we celebrate everyone's holidays.
"We all get together and enjoy everyone's customs and even food," she said. "We want to pass that on to our little one and experience all the holidays and understand the importance of everything."
By way of introduction, "Happy Hanukkah," said Rabbi Levi Volovik, co-director of Chabad of the Berkshires. People let out whoops in response.
"It is a privilege and an honor to welcome you to the second annual menorah lighting here in downtown Lenox," Volovik said.
He reminded those gathered that his organization is constructing the Lenox Jewish Center of the Berkshires "100 feet away from this monument."
"We are building the most magnificent, most beautiful center," he said, listing its features and spaces, including the first women's mikvah in the Berkshires, a basketball court, children's center and kosher café.
He also said there would be an Oct. 7 memorial dedicated to the memories of those who lost their lives in the massacre in Israel on that day in 2023.
Volovik asked the crowd to note that Chabad is wrapping up a $500,000 campaign on Thursday.
When he thanked the Lenox Fire Department and Lenox Police Department, the crowd cheered.
"It was 15 months ago on Oct. 7 when the world saw pure evil and darkness," Volovik said. "Children being kidnapped and murdered. Adults being kidnapped and murdered. And at this very moment, we have over 100 of our brothers and sisters who are Gaza hostages."
Wednesday's celebration also came less than a week after Lenox Middle and High School families were informed that a swastika had been found on a white board in a classroom at the high school.
He said Jews have been in Israel for thousands of years, and at the time of the first Hanukkah celebration, 164 BCE, Jews faced an existential threat.
"Those days the tiny nation of Israel stood alone vilified by our foes and in our times too. Those days Israel stunned their enemies with miraculous victories, and in our times, too," he said.
The rabbi offered thanks for "the light that is finally shining through the darkness."
While Volovik offered anyone with relatives being held hostage in Gaza, no one stepped forward.
As a prayer for the hostages, he asked those gathered to recite the Hebrew prayer, the Sh'ma, a central one-line statement of faith, proclaiming the oneness of God. It translates, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."
Volovik climbed a ladder and lit the first candle of the eight-day festival, which celebrates a victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks and the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem.
After the prayers, from a ladder of a Lenox fire truck, chocolate coins showered down. Fried food is the traditional Hanukkah treat, and there were latkes and doughnuts on tables near the menorah.
Rawal reflected on her appreciation for Lenox.
"It's lovely how festive the town is, how it embraces diversity and everything going on, very welcoming," she said. "This is probably our 15th or 20th visit to the Berkshires. We've been here every season and we just love it."