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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 15, 2006 Click image for larger view Rabbi Avi Zwiebel and his wife, Faigy, try raising the top onto the column of the Lego menorah at Chabad Jewish Center in Ashland. (Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) 3,600 Lego pieces, and 8 candles Hanukkah celebrations will offer playful and traditional approaches By John Darling for the Mail Tribune A huge symbol of religious freedom for Jews, the eight-candle menorah will be celebrated in Ashland in two big events — with distinctly different styles. The completion of a seven-foot tall working menorah made of Lego toys, for the kids, this Tuesday; and a 10-foot menorah to be lit Saturday in the Ashland Plaza, along with live music, traditional food and fire dancing. Hanukkah, for which the menorah is a powerful symbol, begins at sundown tonight. It will take 40 Lego kits, each containing 90 large Legos to build the menorah. It will have a big, colorful base, with the fan of the menorah sprouting outward and upward in a series of V's. Kids will light candles atop the menorah. The playful ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the new Chabad Jewish Center, 420 Bridge St., near Siskiyou Boulevard. The 3-year old Chabad center, one of nine in Oregon, moved into its space in September. Advertisement It will include latkes (potato pancakes), an edible menorah, doughnut making and sand art. The event is free. Chabad here traditionally stages high-involvement, hands-on arts and crafts that engage both children and adults, with the purpose of having fun while imparting lessons about the history and traditions of Judaism, says its director, Rabbi Avi Zwiebel. The lesson of the menorah — and of Hanukkah, which runs from Dec. 15-23 this year — is religious freedom, he says, based on the legend of the Jews' rebellion against their Greek emperor. This ruler desecrated and broke all the bottles of oil in the Temple of Jerusalem, but Jews found one (enough for a day) intact and it burned for eight days, which Jews honor as a miracle. The lighting of the menorah in a visible spot is traditionally accompanied by preparing and eating foods fried in olive oil, such as latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts). The plaza festivities start at 7 p.m. and include the Klezmer Band, with a tent in case of rain. The chain of Chabad centers are "not about membership," but exist to educate Jews who may or may not be members of nearby synagogues, said Zwiebel. Two other synagogues, Temple Emek Shalom and Havurah Shir Hadash also operate in Ashland. Chabad also publishes a newspaper mailed to 1,200 homes in the region. On its current front page, a poem states: "May Hanukkah prevail / Over the menacing darkness; / Against the evil forces and power / Let its light bloom and flower." John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com