DC 37’s annual celebration of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, drew dozens of members and retirees to the union hall Dec. 27.

“The Maccabees fought their oppressors and won,” said Jewish Heritage Committee chair Dr. Lenny Davidman, president of NYC Psychologists Local 1189. “There is a lesson for labor: fight back and bring light to darkness.”

“We think of the miracle of Chanukah some 2,000 years ago and it reminds us to stay united,” said DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray. “Over the next four years we will need to fight harder than ever, determined to move labor’s causes forward.”

“Chanukah’s dreidel game has a message of hope– when negative forces seem overwhelming, one spin can bring change and keep us going,” said Rabbi Alvin Kass, as he lit the menorah. The New York Police Dept. recently honored Kass, a member of Local 299, for 50 years of service.

“We play by the rules to move forward. With each move we maximize our freedoms for a brighter future,” Kass said. “That’s what DC 37 does– it continues to make moves that create opportunities for all.”