A menorah was lit at Richmond City Hall Monday to mark the beginning of what Jewish people call the “festival of lights.”
The lighting ceremony was attended by the members of the Richmond Jewish community as well as city council members.
Richmond is home to the second largest Jewish population in B.C.
The first day of Hanukkah was on Sunday. Jewish people light one candle a day for eight days to commemorate the rededication of their temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE.
City council was planning to discuss a definition of antisemitism at its committee meeting right after the menorah lighting, but this was pulled off the agenda.
Coun. Alexa Loo had put the motion forward, but she then decided to pull it back, saying she’d like a broader discussion about anti-racism policies.
