FESTIVITIES

On December 9, 2012 at 4pm, Central Reform Temple of Boston will open the doors of its shared home at Emmanuel Church 15 Newbury Street for “A Light Through the Ages,” a Chanukah celebration of love, family, hope and peace. Presented by Central Reform Temple and featuring musicians from Emmanuel Music, this free holiday concert celebrates Chanukah’s deep spiritual meaning through story and song and explores messages of major contemporary importance for people of all ages and backgrounds.

The original text of “A Light Through the Ages,” written by Rabbi Howard A. Berman, was first performed in New York City 35 years ago, and provides a chronicle of the holiday from different times and places over the centuries. Choral selections of traditional and contemporary holiday music highlight the narrative, and the program concludes with a dramatic candlelight ceremony.

Chanukah, the eight day “Festival of Lights,” commemorates the victorious struggle for religious freedom by the Jewish people in the face of oppression in 165 B.C.E. It is also linked to the universal Winter Solstice festivals that have been observed by many faiths and cultures throughout history, celebrating light and warmth in the midst of the season’s darkness. It has long been a beloved family tradition affirming faith and hope. In modern times, the festival has emerged as a major expression of the Jewish spiritual presence in the midst of the December holiday season, which reflects the rich diversity of American society. Today, Chanukah is widely recognized and embraced by people of all faiths as a major dimension of this shared time of celebration and its universal ideals of joy and peace.

For more information, visit alightthroughtheages.org/