Eight Nights of (Public) Lights

Forty-four years ago - in front of Independence Hall - a rabbi and a few yeshiva students lighted the first candle on a small wooden menorah. Since then, erecting oversized outdoor menorahs in public spaces has spread all over the country - and the world. To celebrate the eight-night Hanukkah season, staff photographer Tom Gralish visited menorahs throughout the region - including the one on Independence Mall, now grown to over forty feet - capturing varied images during this wintertime “festival of lights.”