Hanukkah event in Vernon Hills brings light in wake of dark moment

The message of Hanukkah, of hope and light triumphing over darkness and despair, burned brightly Sunday at the Chabad Jewish Center of Vernon Hills.

A day after five people in Monsey, New York, were stabbed during a Hanukkah gathering, the Chabad Jewish Center of Vernon Hills opened its doors to close to 200 who came together to celebrate the festival.

They munched on festive foods, including latkes and doughnuts fried in oil, a symbol of the Hanukkah miracle of oil burning for eight nights.

As tunes like "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" filled the room, children played games like throwing the latke in the frying pan, and took part in crafts, such as creating Hanukkah sunglasses with candles. Firefighters from the Countryside Fire Protection District joined in the fun, tossing Hanukkah gelt to the children.

For Rabbi Shimmy Susskind, the center's leader, the timing couldn't have been more significant.

"In light of what happened last night, today's event is so much more important," he said.

"We want to bring people together and say no matter what happens, we will always be here. And the Jewish people will never surrender, will never back down," Susskind added.

Susskind said the center was in contact Sunday morning with police.

"They probably would have been here anyway, but I reached out to them about eight o'clock this morning, and they said they are going to be here," he said.

In the face of possible threats, it is important to not only take increased security measures, Susskind said, but also "come together and not let what happened pull us down."

A cohesive community was very much in evidence Sunday.

For Marilyn Zwirn of Long Grove, the spirit of Hanukkah "really means lighting up the world, bringing light into darkness, bringing good things into a world that needs help."

It was the 10th celebration of Hanukkah for the center, an event which has grown considerably since the first gathering drew a crowd of about 30. Among its newest guests were Pavel Leschinsky and Marina Feferman, and their daughters Mia, 9, and Alina, 13. The couple hails from Ukraine, where they said such celebrations aren't typical.

Feferman said the family recently heard about the center from a friend whose daughter attends.

"They learn about traditions. They sing songs. Kids really enjoy it here," she said.