Wyoming Officials Join Rabbi In Menorah Ceremony

Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen joined the Rabbi of the Chabad Jewish Center of Wyoming for a Menorah lighting ceremony at the state Capitol Building in Cheyenne on Wednesday.

Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn says the Menorah is symbolic of Hanukkah. The eight days of Hanukkah commemorate the victory of the Jews against foreign rulers who sought to destroy the Jewish temple and Jewish traditions.

But Mendelsohn says in a broader sense the holiday is a celebration of the freedom of all people everywhere as well as the values that all decent human societies share.

Mendelsohn says the importance of values such as tolerance and respect for others have been highlighted in recent days by the terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia as well as the murder of hundredsof people in Pakistan by extremists

He says Hanukkah, which is also known as the Festival of Lights, could be thought of as a celebration of the values of "light"--or the good--against the forces of darkness and intolerance, wherever they may exist.