Live update: Read about the Hanukkah celebration happening right now in Market Common
Attendance and participation in the Market Common event has increased
UPDATES: 5:25 P.M.
Carol Seplow, North Myrtle Beach resident and a temple member for the past 15 years, said that more people showed up this year in comparison to last.
“I am so thankful for the turnout that we had to be represented in this community,” Seplow said. “And we had more security this year so people felt safer.”
The ceremony has started
UPDATED: 5:11 P.M.
More than 50 residents are gathering in the center of Valor Park to participate in the celebration of Hanukkah.
Rabbi Avi Perets, of Temple Emanu-el, said that tonight was about sending a message “loud and clear.”
“We hope the message will be a message of hope and peace and religious freedom,” Perets said. “Diversity is one of the elements that this country was established from. “In view of the antisemitic fliers that people received in the area, I think it’s so much more important for us to say that we are here. We are here to stay and we are not going to be intimidated by that.”
Days before the start of Hanukkah, the city of Myrtle Beach condemns antisemitism
UPDATED: 3:15 p.m.
Last week, Myrtle Beach City Council passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitic acts just hours after another round of hateful flier were found outside of Myrtle Beach homes.
“I know that you do not understand most of the language that was spoken out. I didn’t either. But we don’t forget this moment. It can be a source of strength for life,” Rabbi Aizenman of Chabad Jewish Academy told his 20 students in attendance.
On Dec. 14, the city of North Myrtle Beach put out a similar message condemning the fliers, urging residents to “throw [the fliers] in the trash, where it belongs.”
The fliers, which have circulated Grand Strand neighborhoods and neighborhoods across the U.S. all summer, contain false, hateful messages against Jewish people.
The position of local governments comes amid a rise in anti-Jewish sentiment nationwide. A 2021 American Defamation League audit of antisemitic incidents found a 34% jump from 2020 — the 2,717 occurrences were the second most on record since tracking began in 1979.
South Carolina, home to roughly 8,160 Jews, had more than 15 reported instances of anti-Jewish acts in 2021 — more than a quarter them in the Grand Strand.
“We want our community to be one of acceptance, one of love and one of diversity, and we can’t do that without each of you,” Mayor Brenda Bethune said ahead of the City of Myrtle Beach’s unanimous approval.
What you need to know about the 5 p.m. ceremony
UPDATED: 12:35 p.m.
Myrtle Beach residents will be able to celebrate Hanukkah tonight with Temple Emanu-El at an annual Menorah lighting ceremony in Market Common.
Starting at 5 p.m., Temple Emanu-El will light a Menorah candle in Valor Park, located in the center of the Market Common shopping district. Rabbi Avi will lead the ceremony.
“Take part in the singing of prayers, holiday songs and enjoy delicious jelly doughnuts,” the Market Common website states.
Temple Emanu-El was founded in 1963 in Myrtle Beach and is located at 406 65th Ave North. Rabbi Avi and his wife Mira Perets joined the synagogue in 2003.
Hanukkah, the celebration of the recovery of Jerusalem, began on Dec. 18, and will last until Dec. 26 this year.
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 12:33 PM.