Outdoor Menorahs, latkes, celebrations, mark Festival of Lights in Bucks County

From making potato latkes to building a towering Menorah from Legos, Jewish families across the region celebrated the start of Hanukkah this week.
More than 100 people gathered at the Bucks County Justice Center Tuesday to light the holiday’s third candle on a large Menorah outside the center on North Main Street in Doylestown Borough.
Inside, there were other festivities, including creating a 7-foot-tall Menorah from Legos, enjoying gelt coins of chocolate and dreidel games, said Rabbi Mendel Prus of Lubavitch of Doylestown. The nonprofit is a Jewish organization that works to “make Judaism more accessible, more intellectually stimulating and fun,” explained Prus.

On Sunday, the first night of Hanukkah, hundreds attended events at the Valley Square Shopping Center in Warrington, the rabbi said. A Menorah was lit and thousands of gelt were dropped by parachutes into a gleeful crowd of children.
“We celebrate Hanukkah to remember the few (can outlast) the many,” said Prus. “The message of Hanukkah is for everyone.”
Known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over their oppressors and the miracle of the temple’s Menorah remaining lit for eight days, despite having no oil.

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