Sudbury’s Jewish community marks Hanukkah with first public menorah lighting

For the first time ever, people in Greater Sudbury who identify with the Jewish faith marked Hanukkah with a public event, lighting a large menorah in the lobby of Tom Davies Square on Friday evening – night three of the annual winter holiday.

Emily Caruso Parnell the board president of Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue assists with Greater Sudbury’s first public menorah lighting in the lobby of Tom Davies Square on December 27, 2024 -- the third night of Hanukkah. (Angela Gemmill/CTV News Northern Ontario)

“We really feel that the solution to [the rise in antisemitism] is not to sort of cower and hide. The solution to that is to stand up and be proud and continue practicing publicly and continue to be Jewish in public settings,” said Emily Caruso Parnell, board president of Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue.

“This was an opportunity to do that, that was in line with what other communities were already doing.”

Caruso Parnell explained that Sault Ste Marie held its first public menorah lighting last year.

Hanukkah falls late this year, running from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2. The fun, festive winter holiday is celebrated with food, family and the traditional game using a dreidel. It commemorates the victory of the Maccabees, to recover Jerusalem and rededicate the temple. There are a number of different meanings behind why the celebration lasts for eight days and why eight candles are lit.

Caruso Parnell to CTV News that about 30 to 35 families in Greater Sudbury who actively identify as Jewish – adding that recent census numbers show between 300 and 400 individual citizens.

• Want more Sudbury news? Check out its local news page

As the public menorah was being lit the crows said a special blessing which is normally meant for when something is done for the first time or the first night of Hannukah, but Caruso Parnell said it was used Friday night given it was the first public menorah lighting in Sudbury.

Greater Sudbury’s Jewish community marks Hanukkah with the city's first public menorah lighting in the lobby of Tom Davies Square on December 27, 2024. (Angela Gemmill/CTV News Northern Ontario)

The celebration of Hanukkah requires a public display, most other Jewish holidays are privately celebrated in homes or synagogues.

“Even now, when that feel like a pretty scary thing to do,” Caruso Parnell told the crowd.

She expanded by saying that antisemitic incidents have been on the rise over the past year and a half across Canada.

“Putting a menorah in the window has become an act of bravery in a way I couldn’t have imagined a couple of years ago,” said Caruso Parnell.

“Locally, we've seen mostly an increase in terms of words, in terms of emails, letters, those sorts of things. Fortunately, we've escaped some of the worst incidents that we've seen in communities like Toronto and Montreal. But it's important to be proactive and to build those bridges in the larger community and just be really proud to be Jewish and not be afraid.”

Emily Caruso Parnell the board president of Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue assists with Greater Sudbury’s first public menorah lighting in the lobby of Tom Davies Square on December 27, 2024 -- the third night of Hanukkah. (Angela Gemmill/CTV News Northern Ontario)

• Download the CTV News app now
• Get local breaking news alerts
• Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox

“[The public menorah lighting] is a testament to the progress we’ve made as a community in fostering a city where every resident feels valued, respected and celebrated,” said Inspector Robert Norman of the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

“Let this menorah lighting be a beacon of hope symbolizing our shared commitment to Greater Sudbury as a community of inclusion and support – a safer community for all,” he added.

If you’d like to wish others a ‘Happy Hanukkah’ the greeting in Hebrew is ‘Hag Hanuka Shmah.’