Sunday was the fourth night of Hanukkah and members of South Dakota’s Jewish community celebrated it at Mount Rushmore.
Rabbi Mendel Alperowitz, South Dakota’s only Rabbi and the first permanent one in the state in decades led the ceremony to light the first 4 candles on the 8-branched menorah.
Rabbi Alperowitz welcomed the chance to hold it at Mount Rushmore, saying it’s important for non-Jews to know about Hanukkah and be able to see it and learn from it.
Mount Rushmore celebrates all that America stands for and Alperowitz says he’s grateful for the founding fathers who gave religious liberty and freedom for all to practice.
He’s also pleased that there are public menorahs in Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and at the steps of the capitol in Pierre, saying “it’s very beautiful that so many people across the great state of South Dakota are celebrating Hanukkah in such a meaningful way.”