More than 100 people gathered at Kansas Gov. Sam and Mary Brownback’s official residence in Topeka for a pre-Chanukah celebration.

Chabad-Lubavitch of Kansas and Missouri, which is directed by Rabbi Sholom Wineberg, sponsored the Dec. 19 event.

Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, co-director of Chabad of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, introduced the governor and thanked his state’s first family for opening their hearts and home to the Jewish community. Rabbi Itche Itkin of Chabad on the Plaza in Kansas City presented the governor with a menorah made of Jerusalem stone and handcrafted by Kansas City artist Sam Nachum.

“The celebration of Chanukah is a special time in the Jewish tradition,” acknowledged Brownback. “The miracle of the oil that lasted eight nights instead of one is the commemoration we mark, but the ideals that were fought for then still resonate to this day. They fought for their right to worship freely and they fought for their humanity, in the face of overwhelming odds.

“I’m proud to be able to stand with the Jewish people of Kansas in celebrating this occasion.”