Hanukkah begins with a candelabrum in front of the Brandenburg Gate

Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal (l) and Rabbi Shmuel Segal danced at the inauguration of what the organisers say is Europe's largest Hanukkah candelabrum on Pariser Platz on Monday. (archive picture)

The eight-day Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah, begins. On 23 December, a ten-metre high Hanukkah candelabra was erected at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, which will be lit in the evening.

It has been set up on Pariser Platz for 19 years now as a sign of vibrant Judaism in Germany and is lit every day for the duration of the holiday, said a spokesperson for the Jewish community Chabad Berlin. “May #Chanukah inspire us all to illuminate the darkness with the light of humanity and encourage us to create more understanding and cohesion in our society!”, it said on the Instagram page of the House of Representatives.

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after a revolt against the Greeks in 164 BC and the “miracle of light” of a candelabrum burning for eight days. “This year in particular, it is more important than ever to set a sign of light at this central location that overcomes the darkness,” said Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal in advance, according to the press release.