18-foot menorah to be lit in State House to mark Hanukkah
BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker and other top state politicians are planning to join representatives of Massachusetts’ Jewish community to light an 18-foot (5.5-meter) menorah in the State House to mark the beginning of Hanukkah.
The annual ceremony is planned for Monday at 4 p.m.
Those joining the Republican governor will include House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Karen Spilka and state Treasurer Deb Goldberg — all Democrats. Republican Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito is also planning to attend.
The menorah is so big that the state leaders will have to be hoisted in a lift to light it.
The eight-day festival commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians in the second century BCE.
