UTICA — The lights in downtown Utica just got brighter as a giant menorah in Liberty Bell Park was lit in celebration of Hanukkah.

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Charitonow from Chabad of the Mohawk Valley joined members of the local Jewish community to celebrate the Jewish holiday.

According to the Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, Hanukkah is the Jewish eight-day festival of lights that commemorates the Jewish people reclaiming the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and is celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods.

“Tonight, we join the millions of Jews around the world who are celebrating this festival of lights … to be able to light the menorah publicly here without any worry and discrimination,” Charitonow said.

“We all look deep into ourselves to find the source of light hidden within to be able to survive and during the story of Hanukah, that’s exactly what happened,” he added.

City officials say the menorah will stay at Liberty Bell Park throughout the remainder of the Hanukkah season to highlight Jewish culture and to remind passersby of the lessons of the holiday.

“The holiday season is a good time to celebrate all that makes Utica unique and a great place to live,” Palmieri said. “Our diversity is our greatest strength and the people of Utica are its greatest asset. I’m proud to be part of this menorah lighting at a prominent place in the heart of downtown. Together, the menorah will remind us of tolerance, perseverance and religious freedom.”

To coincide with the event, Palmieri issued a proclamation declaring the week from Dec. 18 through 28 to be Chabad of the Mohawk Valley Week in the city of Utica.