FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The holiday season has added some extra challenged this year with COVID-19, but it’s given Northwest Arkansas’ Jewish community a chance to look at Hanukkah a different way. A local rabbi said for many families, this has been a time of strength.
With Hanukkah reaching its end, Rabbi Mendel Greisman of Chabad of Northwest Arkansas said Jewish families have grown stronger during this unprecedented stretch. Unlike one sees with some holidays, most Jewish families celebrate Hanukkah with a focus on the home. This means COVID-19 hasn’t taken the spirit out of Menorah lighting and traditional cooking.
Northwest Arkansas’ Jewish community had a couple outdoor celebrations to mark the beginning and end of Hanukkah, but the focus on family is something Greisman said he appreciates.
“No matter what’s going on that we may not understand, G-d has a plan, and He will take care of us and see us through this,” Greisman said. “That’s really come out in a real way.”
Classes at Chabad of NWA have been virtual during the pandemic, Greisman said, and synagogues have been following Arkansas Dept. of Health guidelines.
