 Hundreds gathered in Copley Square to light the tallest menorah in New England. Rabbi Meir Zahra he says the tradition dates back to when Jewish Maccabees lit a menorah in the Holy Temple after reclaiming Jerusalem centuries ago. One of the provisions with lighting the menorah we do it at sunset so that we take the darkness of the world the the dark cold streets of the world and we bathe it in the warmth and light of the menorah. The annual lighting was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it came back as restrictions eased. The event included a firetruck gelt drop and guest speakers like Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. We in Massachusetts do stand with our friends and neighbors in the Jewish community. There was also a mix of traditional and modern music played by Berkeley musicians. I think that the main thing is the lighting of the menorah and we are just the sort of side entertainment around that but if we can contribute to somebody feeling like they had a good time here that makes me happy. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health there were over 5,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 December 5th. Reporting from BUTV-10 from Copley Square, I'm Owen Gunn.