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MANSFIELD - A nine-foot-tall menorah will be first lit on Mansfield's South Common on Tuesday night. The glow will grow gradually over the next seven days, much like the local Jewish community has done over the last few years.

And, at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, community members will light a kerosene lantern on the sixth candle of the candelabrum, signaling the start of the sixth day of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights.

This might be the largest Hanukkah celebration ever in this town, which lacks a synagogue and a Jewish congregation.

"People are so excited that there's going to be a menorah in town," said Rabbi Yossi Kivman, who is putting up the menorah. "It shows there's a lot of inclusiveness and tolerance, which is a beautiful thing."

Hanukkah will begin at sundown Tuesday, Dec. 4. The holiday will end at nightfall on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Kivman's Chabad Jewish Center, located at 121 Angell St., is organizing Mansfield's Hanukkah festivities.

While the lighting on Dec. 9 is scheduled for 5:15 p.m., the celebration actually will start at 4 p.m. in room 3A/B at town hall, across the way.

Traditional Hanukkah treats will be provided, including potato pancakes, known as latkes; chocolate coins, known as gelt; and doughnuts. Music, games, crafts and gifts will contribute to the atmosphere. There also will be a raffle.

Admission is free, although donations are welcomed.

Kivman said community members have asked for a public menorah since he held a Hanukkah Extravaganza at the Mansfield Public Library in December 2005.

More than 100 people attended that event, the first one sponsored by Kivman's Chabad Jewish Center.

"We feel by now, the time is right," Kivman said.

The rabbi himself will erect the 9-foot-tall aluminum menorah Monday night on the South Common, near the "Mansfields" sign at the corner of West and South Main streets.

The menorah will come from a manufacturer in New Jersey, he said.

"There's hundreds of menorahs just like this one all over," Kivman said. "It's a beautiful thing that Mansfield is getting one. "It shows Jewish pride, and the concept of what Judaism stands for: the light over the darkness, the few over the many."

The menorah is electric, and Kivman will light one new bulb on each night of Hanukkah.

But during the community festivities, Kivman will replace the bulbs with kerosene lanterns.

The holiday celebrates how during biblical times, one day's worth of oil miraculously lasted eight days.

"It will be a real menorah," Kivman said.

Town Manager John D'Agostino and state Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, are among the dignitaries expected to attend, Kivman said.

Some will speak. The speeches will move into town hall if the weather warrants, Kivman said.

Throughout the holiday, Kivman also will drive around with an aluminum menorah on top of his car.

"Last year, it was great. I had people tooting their horns, and while I was driving trying to take pictures of me," he said.

MICHAEL GELBWASSER can be reached at 508-236-0439 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.