San Antonio Catholics, Jews come together to light historic menorah

Published: 2007-12-14

SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- Father David Garcia, rector of San Fernando Cathedral, said the annual Catholic-Jewish Hanukkah commemoration in San Antonio was an opportunity to illustrate how people of various faith traditions have worked with one another over the years. "Each one," he said, "has added a wonderful richness that only their tradition could give." Good relationships among different faiths in San Antonio is what distinguishes it as a premiere city, he added. Father Garcia's remarks opened the sixth annual lighting of a menorah owned by San Antonian Bennett Feinsilber and brought from Poland long ago by Feinsilber's grandfather. Catholics and Jews jointly lit the eight candles in a Dec. 7 ceremony at AT&T Center, organized under the auspices of San Fernando Cathedral and the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, a co-sponsor. It is the same menorah Pope John Paul II and Feinsilber lit together at the Vatican on Hanukkah in 2001. This year Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish holiday known as the festival of lights, began at sundown Dec. 4.

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