BOURNEMOUTH beachfront is set to be lit up in celebration of Hanukkah.

A massive 25-foot-tall menorah will be lit up at Bournemouth Pier Approach to celebrate the annual, eight-day Festival of Lights.

Organised by Chabad of Bournemouth, the event will take place this Thursday, December 7, at 6pm.

The group said Bournemouth is seeing a surge in families’ public displays of the holiday and Jewish identity, with many planning to light their menorahs in visible places.

It is expecting a larger than usual crowd this year, in a ‘strong statement of Jewish pride and confidence’.

The group said: “It’s a fraught time for the Jewish people, with war in Israel and British Jews facing a major rise in antisemitism.

“In the past, before Oct. 7, many Jews’ response to frightening developments of antisemitism may have been to hide their Jewishness, the post-Oct. 7 Jewish communal response has bucked all precedents.

“Jews are choosing instead to celebrate their identity this Hanukkah with more confidence and resolve.”

The event at the pier will be attended by Bournemouth West MP Sir Conor Burns and the Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Anne Filer.

Mr Burns will address the crowd and he will light the central branch of the menorah.

It will feature entertainment for all ages, including live music and guest singer, as well as hot drinks and a selection of traditional Hanukkah foods.

Orthodox Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Rebbe, launched the Hanukkah awareness campaign 50 years ago.

This campaign revitalised widespread observance of the festival, with the menorah becoming a part of British culture.

“The Rebbe taught that not only is celebrating Hanukkah a vital part of Jewish life but it also represents key human values, namely those of liberty and independence,” said Rabbi Bentzion from Chabad of Bournemouth.

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, marks the victory of a militarily weak Jewish people over the Syrian Greeks, who had overrun ancient Israel and sought to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life, prohibiting religious freedom.

Today, the holiday is considered a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter and of light over darkness.