WASHINGTON (AP) - The National Menorah has been lit in Washington to celebrate Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights.
    
Rabbi Levi (LEH'-vee) Shemtov told the crowd that just as the Jewish people triumphed over their oppressors more than 2,000 years ago, "Decency over any force of evil or darkness will prevail"
    
Fourth-grader David (DAH'-vihd mohr-IHTZ") Moritz said the lit menorah symbolizes the religious freedom that everyone should enjoy.
    
Jeffrey Zients (ZY'-ehntz), acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, quipped that the day's-worth of oil that lasted eight days in the Jewish temple was a triumph of energy-efficient lighting.
    
The National Menorah and the National Christmas Tree both are illuminated on the Ellipse, the grassy park between the White House and the Washington Monument.
     
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