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Century-old wood creaked underfoot as 30 fifth-graders lit a menorah yesterday in the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue, the candles flickering to life just as the temple itself is being reborn after years of neglect.
The ceremony in the weathered synagogue underscored the culmination of Chanukah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights - and celebrated the rebirth of the first synagogue built in New York by Jews from Eastern Europe.
Temple Instructor Roberta Waterstone used the occasion to explain to the children how the holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem after their victory over the Syrians in ancient times. The Jews wanted to rekindle the temple's eternal flame; they had oil for just one day but it lasted...