LAKE MARY, Fla. – The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” starts at sundown Dec. 7 and ends Dec. 15.
The heart of the holiday involves the time-honored tradition of lighting a menorah for eight nights.
Penny and Barry Gold invited News 6 into their home in Lake Mary to see their collection of 52 menorahs — one for every year they’ve been married.
“Of course, the first year we had a menorah, but there are so many choices now that it became a thing,” said Penny Gold.
There are options for everyone. The oldest menorah in their collection comes from Barry’s family. There is also a Disney-themed one, animals, and even Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
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Penny Gold said this year’s menorah is a gefilte fish with the names of everyone in the family.
The couple met in college in Manhattan and were married four years later. And now, 52 years later, they have four sons, four daughters-in-law, and seven children.
Barry jokes that they collect menorahs, grandchildren, and Converse shoes. Penny once held the Guinness World Record for having the most pairs of the sneakers. She now has more than 2,000 in all kinds of colors and styles.
She proudly showed our News 6 team a custom Converse-themed menorah that her husband made for her one year.
“These are my favorite because Barry made these for me,” she said.
Barry Gold showed us another menorah his kids gave to him for his 65th birthday. There’s a story for every single one.
It’s a display the Gold family looks forward to putting together each year as their family gathers in their home to light the candles and spend the holiday together.
“A lot of people come over, open the gifts, and play games. They play dreidel,” said Penny Gold. “And eating potato latkes. Barry makes the best potato latkes!”
Barry said that next Thursday, which is the last night of Hanukkah, everybody in the family will choose menorahs from the collection to light.
“Everyone will be lighting one, and there will be eight candles in each, so we’ll shut the smoke detectors off,” he joked.
The Golds say all of the Jewish holidays are very special to them because of their traditions.
“Tradition is very important to us,” said Barry. “Our parents passed it on to us. We keep doing it, so the kids do it, and now they’re doing it with their kids.”
This year, they say the holiday has more meaning.
“It’s nice to see something happy going on right now, something on the news that’s not a war,” said Barry Gold.
“One of my dear friends in her neighborhood in Altamonte, all her neighbors who are not Jewish got together and made her a big Hanukkah package and signs, and they gave it to her to support her in this time, which is really beautiful,” Penny Gold added.
After all, Hanukkah is a celebration and a reason to gather together for joy.
“Just celebrate because it’s a fun holiday,” said Penny. “You’re celebrating happiness, and that really makes it special.”
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