Jewish people from around the world ushered in the eight-day Hanukkah festival today, lighting the first candles of the menorah which symbolizes triumph over oppression.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis attended the celebration in London’s Trafalgar Square, while similar celebrations took place in Berlin, Germany, Moscow, Russia, and Jerusalem, Israel.
Attending the event in Berlin was Auschwitz survivor Margot Friedlander who hid for 13 months before being found and sent to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in 1944.
Most of her and her husband’s family members were murdered in the death camp.
Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, commemorates the Jewish uprising in the second century B.C. against the Greek-Syrian kingdom, which had tried to impose its culture on Jewish people and adorn the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem with statues of Greek gods.
The holiday lasts eight days because according to tradition, when the Jewish people rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, a single vial of oil, enough for one day, burned miraculously for eight.
For many Jewish people, the holiday symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.
Hanukkah – which means dedication – is one of the most popular holidays in Israel, and has a high rate of observance.
Israeli students get time off from school for the holiday, when families gather each night to light the candles, eat and exchange gifts.
Jewish people from around the world ushered in the eight-day Hanukkah festival this evening, lighting the first candles of the menorah which symbolizes triumph over oppression. Pictured: London Mayor Sadiq Khan (left) on stage with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (centre) during the Chanukah in the Square event at Trafalgar Square
Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, commemorates the Jewish uprising in the second century B.C. against the Greek-Syrian kingdom. Pictured: People attend a Hanukkah celebration in Revolution Square, Moscow
Rabbi Schmuel Segal, Holocaust Survivor Margot Friedlaender, 9-year-old Jewish child Noah Aberschanskij, Josef Schuster – president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany- and Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal light the first candle of the Hanukkah menorah at Pariser Platz in Berlin, Germany
The Greek-Syrian kingdom had tried to impose its culture on Jewish people and adorn the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem with statues of Greek gods. Pictured: A large scale menorah in front of the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
Hanukkah lasts eight days because according to tradition, when the Jewish people rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, a single vial of oil, enough for one day, burned miraculously for eight. Pictured: A menorah in Revolution Square, Russia
For many Jewish people, the holiday symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. Pictured: People celebrate Hanukkah in Revolution Square, Moscow
Attending the event in Berlin was Auschwitz survivor Margot Friedlander (pictured) who hid for 13 months before being found and sent to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in 1944
People wait to attend the Illumination of a menorah in front of Brandenburg Gate, Germany, to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah
Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller and Rabi Yehuda Teichtal attend the Illumination of a menorah in Berlin
Hanukkah means dedication. Pictured: A giant menorah is seen ahead of its Illumination during the Berlin event
Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar (right) attends a Hanukkah celebration in Revolution Square, Moscow
The first candle on the Menorah is lit during the Chanukah in the Square event at Trafalgar Square, London
The first lamp of a large-scale menorah in front of the Brandenburg Gate burns after it was lit by Rabbis Yehuda Teichtal and Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
The first Hanukkah candle is lit during the Chanukah in the Square event at Trafalgar Square today
Visitors look at a projected image of the gates of Auschwitz prior to the approaching 75th anniversary of the camp’s liberation as they wait for the lighting of the first candle of the Hanukkah menorah at Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate
A visitor waits ahead of the lighting of the first candle of the Hanukkah menorah in Berlin today
People attend a Hanukkah celebration in Revolution Square, Russia. A young boy gets a shoulder ride from an older man
Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar (centre) attends the celebration in Russia today
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany (left), and Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal light the first candle of the Hanukkah menorah at Pariser Platz in Berlin
A pyrotechnics display is used as part of celebrations for the first night of Hanukkah in Revolution Square, Russia
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lights Hanukkah candles with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, at the Western Wall
Family members light candles on the first night of Hanukkah in the Mea Shearim neighbourhood of Jerusalem