Mat-Su Jewish Center hosts annual Chanukah celebration

PALMER— Many would say that the Jewish community is growing with the Mat-Su Valley and many more would likely credit that to Rabbi Mendy Greenberg’s efforts after establishing the Mat-Su Jewish Center in Wasilla four years ago.

“We are blessed to live in a country that was founded on the freedoms of religion and expression,” Mendy said.

On Dec. 5, the fourth day of Chanukah, dozens of people from the community filled the Palmer Train Depot for the fourth annual Chanukah Family Celebration and Menorah Lighting.

“I am amazed again by the interest and thirst of the people that come here, from the Jewish community and from the greater community of the Valley,” Mendy said.

Attendees got to learn the true meaning of Chanukah and eat traditional Jewish food, listen to live Yiddish music, and engage in classic customs like Chanukah Gelt with a modern twist.

Gelt is the Hebrew word for money and it’s customary for Jewish families to give their children chocolate coins during Chanukah. After the ceremony, the attending children all scrambled outside to pick three chocolate coins dropped from above via mechanical lift.

During the ceremony, Mendy with the aid of several guest speakers from the community told the story of Chanukah and what it means today.

There are eight days in December that make up the Chanukah holiday. On each day of Chanukah, households light one candle on their menorah, which is why it’s called the “Festival of Lights.” It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

Mendy said that traditionally, the main part of the holiday is celebrated at night. He said that lighting menorahs during the eight evenings of Chanukah symbolizes the light (good) prevailing over the darkness (evil). He said that with Alaska’s long and cold nights in the winter, it’s easy to think that darkness, “has its own existence.”

“It really takes on a whole life of its own. When we light the candles, especially after the sun goes down, in the cold, in the dark… to bring it out to the streets, not just to be satisfied in our home. We really show that with just one candle, with one positive energy, with one act of goodwill, with one act of charity, with one penny in the charity box can really expel darkness. You don’t have to fight with it, you just have to turn a light,” Mendy said.

During the ceremony, Mendy offered up thanks that the Nov. 30 earthquake did not cause any casualties.

“This a true, modern-day, Chanukah, Thanksgiving miracle,” Mendy exclaimed and the crowd erupted in applause.

Since Mendy and his family moved out here, they’ve established four large menorah structures across the Valley, including in front of the Valley Hotel, at the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, at Wasilla Lake (the tallest one at 12 feet) and at the Menard Sports Center. Mendy said that the fourth menorah at the Menard Center is the newest one and was installed this year.

“We’ve heard from the city of Wasilla how whenever our light is not on or something, the mayor gets calls, ‘where is the menorah? The light’s not on. What’s going on?’ From everybody,” Mendy said. “We’re really humbled by how welcomed the Jewish community is here in the Valley.”

Historically, Chanukah has served as a time for Jews to identify themselves proudly and publicly, even in times of persecution. Mendy said that the menorah at the Menard Center was placed in memory of the victims of the 2018 synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. The suspect, Robert D. Bowers, is accused of killing 11 people and injuring several others during an anti-Semitic rampage.

“We felt that we needed at add a Jewish presence to strengthen our presence. Some might feel that when such a thing happens, they should go under cover, but that’s not the American way. The American way is to be proud of who we are, to be proud of our differences,” Mendy said.

Mendy said that in Judaism and in life, people can go two ways. He said they can either focus on the negative or focus on the positive. He said the motto of their movement is to focus on the positive.

Chanukah ends Dec. 10, but Mendy, his family and other collaborators have big plans after that. Their ultimate goal is to raise $150,000 to establish a permanent Jewish campus here in the Valley.

“Today, we are bursting out of that home that we were able to create together. Every corner is filled with warmth, learning, and celebration of our culture and our heritage. We are excited to embark on a new and exciting journey towards a newer and larger home…” Mendy’s wife, Chaya said.

Mendy is the director of the Mat-Su Jewish Center but he is following the lead of his father, Rabbi Yosef Greenberg, of the Lubavitch Jewish Center of Alaska, which located in Anchorage. Up until 2015, any person of Jewish faith in the Valley who wanted to worship or attend holiday ceremonies had to make the trip to Anchorage.

Valley-based comedian, Hillary Saffran, sat at her booth throughout the event, painting children’s faces. As a member of the Jewish faith, she said that she was thankful to have the Mat-Su Jewish Center available throughout the year and to see so many people show up for these local events.

“It’s wonderful to have a Jewish community event out here. People used to have to commute to Anchorage. We had to go to Anchorage for every holiday,” Saffran said.

Sam and Amanda Goldman took their two daughters Lilly and Adalynn to get their faces painted. Sam said he was raised Jewish. He said he was present for the outside menorah lighting last year, but this is his first time taking the family to the party inside the depot.

“It’s a great turn out,” Sam said.

Sam said that seeing the depot filled up with so many people was a good sign for the Valley’s Jewish community and a good sign for the greater community for coming in to learn more about Judaism.

“I’ve seen so many yarmulkes today… I remember being the only Jewish family in the community, maybe only one or two,” Sam said.

Amanda said this event was good for the kids because there were so many games and activities to keep them busy. She also liked that they could walk away with mementos like the holiday cards colored by her kids.

“The most divine revelation in this world is children,” Mendy said.

Yosef said that once his son finished school in New York and got married, he returned to Alaska and started to sew his oats of faith in the Valley.

“I said to myself, finally,” Yosef said. “The second generation is going to make it happen.”

Chaya said that four summers ago, she and her husband sat down with 20 members of the Jewish community and had a vision, “a home for all things Jewish, where everyone in the Valley felt welcome and invited.”

“I’m in awe of the tremendous growth and transformation that our community has undergone… from the adult education classes, our booth at the state fair with the Alaska Jewish Campus to the holiday celebrations like this one that we have right here,” Chaya said.

Over these past four years, Mendy said that he’s been operating the Mat-Su Jewish center from a small, temporary location. He said that the ultimate goal is to establish a larger and permanent Jewish campus for worship, study, celebrations and community connections.

“This is only the beginning. This is going to get bigger and bigger,” Yosef said. “It’s only a matter of time,” Yosef said.

The Mat-Su Jewish Center is set to launch a fundraising campaign on Dec. 19 and 20 to raise money for its future Jewish campus in the Valley. Several sponsors have already kicked off the campaign with contributions and made the commitment to triple every dollar donated from the community.

Yosef recommended that people donate in intervals of 18, which is a sacred and lucky number in Hebrew. Eighteen represents life in Hebrew. Yosef noted the Nov. 30 earthquake while he was at the podium, reaffirming the fact that no one died during the earthquake, calling it a miracle.

“We all survived for a reason,” Yosef said.

After the ceremony, Saffran shared a classic Jewish joke told around this time of year, “They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.”

The center’s website, matsujewishcenter.com, will go live with an online campaign Dec. 19 at 9 a.m. Donors can donate online or call their main line at 907-350-1787.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com