Cranberry Township Supervisor Dick Hadley lights one of the candles of the menorah at the township's menorah lighting party Wednesday night, the second night of Hanukkah. Below right is Rabbi Ely Rosenfeld of Chabad, Fox Chapel.

CRANBERRY TWP — A 9-foot tall menorah was the centerpiece for more than 100 people to celebrate Hanukkah Wednesday night in front of the township municipal center.

It was the second year in a row that people from across the area came to celebrate the start of Hanukkah, even though the holiday officially began at sundown Tuesday night.

Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. Those of the Jewish faith observe the holiday for eight days and nights, lighting a candle every day in remembrance.

For Rabbi Ely Rosenfeld, the holiday is all about the freedom of religion trumping oppression and discrimination.

The rabbi, who is the co-director of the Chabad Fox Chapel Jewish Center, presided over the menorah lighting and helped organize it along with the Cranberry Jewish Community Association.

The menorah is the holiday’s most powerful symbol, he said, which is why it’s important for it to be on public display.

“Hanukkah is unlike other holidays in that nobody’s hanging matzo outside their homes,” Rosenfeld said, referencing Christmas lights. “The idea of the menorah is to celebrate it.”

After the lighting ceremony, the crowd took the celebration inside the municipal center where there was food and conversations between friends.

Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said an event like this one is important if only for the fact that it attracts people from all over the area.

“There are a lot of families in this corner of the county and there’s no local presence for Judaism,” Cohen said. “This serves as a great opportunity for them to meet neighbors of the same faith and to celebrate the holiday.”

Peter Longini, a township employee who works in the communications department, helped organize the event and said the menorah lighting fits right into the flavor of the township.

“(The celebration) acknowledges that this is a more diverse community and diverse county than we’ve been accustomed to,” he said. “It’s a sign of welcoming a broader community.”

That sense of community brought out Aaron Markowitz and his family, including his two children.

“It’s great to have some holiday fun,” he said inside the council chambers. “The kids definitely love it.”