(WJLA, CNN NEWSOURCE) Sunday marked the start of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights.
Crowds gathered on the ellipse near the White House for the lighting of the national menorah.
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough helped light the first candle.
On each night of Hanukkah, another candle is lit...until the eighth day.
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the holy temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 BC.