INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, will begin Wednesday night.

Communities across central Indiana were gearing up for celebrations that will honor tradition and togetherness. In Indianapolis, celebrations will kick off at the JCC Indianapolis to light the menorah. The eight-day commemoration recognizes the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory of the Syrians. Hanukkah recognizes resilience, hope and the triumph of light over darkness.

Ashley Flaumenhaft of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis says it’s a must-see event. People of all backgrounds are welcome. “We’ll bring together community members to light the menorah and to celebrate friends and family, the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days.”

“For Hanukkah, we have what’s called a Hanukkiah, so you’ll see behind me, we have eight branches on a menorah, and that is symbolic of the eight lights we light for the eight nights,” Flaumenhaft from the JCC.

This year, Hanukkah will start on Christmas Day and will end on Jan. 2. The dates fluctuate every year because it follows the lunar Jewish calendar. “Hanukkah occurs on Christmas about five times a century.”

Hanukkah has started on Christmas four times since 1900. The next Hanukkah-Christmas alignment is in 2035. In 2025, Hanukkah will start Dec. 15.

Another event in Indianapolis, the fifth annual Latkes and Lights will be Sunday at the Winterlights light exhibit at Newfields, the nature and arts museum. During the celebration, the windows of the Lilly House will light up and people can enjoy music and traditional foods.

“There’s potato latkes, which are potato pancakes that are crispy and delicious. We might also hear about sufganiyot, which is a jelly doughnut. You’ll find a lot of traditional foods this time of year to be fried in oil, and then we also play a game called dreidel.”

Flaumenhaft hopes the community can come together, learn more about Hanukkah and participate in local events. “We also have our community menorah lightings on the JCC campus, and other program offerings from local synagogues which can be found by looking at our community calendar.”

Community Menorah Candle Lighting Schedule

From Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis. The lightings happen at the Jewish Community Campus, 6705 Hoover Road.

• First night: 5 p.m. Wednesday, Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation.
• Second night: 5 p.m. Thursday, Hooverwood Living and Jewish Community Center ECE.
• Third night: 4:30 p.m. Friday, Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation and Jewish Community Relations Council.
• Fourth night: 6:45 p.m. Saturday, Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis.
• Fifth night: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Congregation Beth Shalom and Congregation Shaarey Tefilla.
• Sixth night: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Indianapolis Jewish Discovery Center.
• Seventh night: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis and PJ Library.
• Eighth night: 7 p.m. Jan. 1, Congregation Beth-El Zedeck.