At the event Nine-year-old Chana Leah Altschul read from her essay that won a contest on the topic of "what Hanukkah means to me."
"The oil miraculously lasted eight days. The lesson this give us is never give up hope, never be scared if something seems to hard for us," said Chana.
Thousands of people attended the lighting of the National Menorah on the first night of Hanukkah.
