Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
COMMUNITY CHANUKAH CELEBRATION
Chabad Jewish Learning Centre
Sunday, December 10, 4:00 p.m.
(please check against delivery)
Dear friends and fellow Manitobans – it is a pleasure to join you in carrying on a tradition of faith, resilience and community.
As Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, I would like to acknowledge that this celebration with its origins in the Temple in Jerusalem, is taking place in the heart of Treaty One land and the heartland of the Red River Metis.
Long after the miracle of the holy oil we commemorate in Chanukah, the Jewish people carried this story with them throughout the Mediterranean world, throughout Europe and the Middle East, and eventually around the world.
Along with the great body of Jewish learning and the traditions passed from generation to generation, the story of Chanukah eventually reached the deep, black soil of southeastern Europe. That’s where my own grandparents and great-grandparents learned, as children, of Judah Maccabee and the cleansing and rededication of the Temple.
And when they found a new home here at the meeting of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, they found that the message of Chanukah had already taken root here in a young, growing city.
In times of peace and in war, in times of prosperity and in times of want, gathering to light the candles of the menorah has brought this community together.
By itself, a single candle does not provide a great deal of illumination.
But the faith it symbolizes has brightened Jewish lives through the darkest times in history.
By lighting these candles and by sharing the joy of songs, games and treats, we affirm that we will endure, we will support one another and we will keep the culture and beliefs of our people alive.
I wish you all a happy and healthy Chanukah. May hope, faith and community continue to brighten your days next year and for as long as this tradition is passed from generation to generation.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom
