The Postal Service dedicated its latest Forever stamp, a celebration of Hanukkah, on Oct. 20 at Temple Emanu El in Chagrin Falls, OH.
The eight-day Jewish observance commemorates the reclamation of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in the second century B.C. after its desecration by soldiers. Oil was needed to resanctify the temple, but only a day’s worth was found among the ruins. That oil was said to have miraculously lasted eight days.
“I remember looking forward to Hanukkah as a child, especially the traditional foods, gifts and games,” said Lori Dym, the Postal Service’s managing counsel for procurement and property law, who helped dedicate the stamp.
Joining Dym for the ceremony were Susan Krantz, president of Temple Emanu El; Rabbi Matt Cohen; Jeanette Kuvin Oren, the stamp’s designer and artist; Kathy Mulcahy, mayor of Orange Village, OH; and Darcy Hershey, congregant and administrative assistant at Temple Emanu El.
For Cohen, the event marked an early holiday of sorts.
“While our Hanukkah menorahs are not yet kindled, this communal celebration reminds us that, despite all odds, throughout time and history, the lights of the Jewish people have miraculously continued to grow brightly and illuminate the world with wholeness, blessing and peace,” he said.
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, which can fall anywhere from late November to mid-December in the Western calendar. This year, it begins on Dec. 18 and ends on the evening of Dec. 26.
