INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) — Flags flew at half-staff in Minnesota and at national parks across the country Tuesday for a Voyageurs National Park ranger who died while trying to rescue a family of three stranded by high waves on a lake.
Kevin Grossheim, 55, of Kabetogama, died Sunday while responding to a call for assistance for a father and two sons who were trapped on an island in Namakan Lake after their boat became disabled. Winds gusting over 40 mph (64 kph) had whipped up waves of 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 meters) Sunday morning.
“One of the rangers that was out there said he has never seen conditions as wild as they were," St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said.
Grossheim reached them with his boat, but it overturned after he picked them up, the National Park Service said.
“The front kind of nosedived, the boat listed, and flipped over upside-down,” Ramsay said. An initial report by the park that the ranger was towing the family’s boat proved to be inaccurate, he said.
The three family members were able to swim to shore, but Grossheim disappeared. His body was recovered that afternoon after a roughly three-hour search. A cause of death was not released.
The remote Voyageurs, established in 1975, covers 340 square miles (880 square kilometers) of lakes, forests and streams on Minnesota's border with Canada. Namakan Lake is one of four big lakes in the park, which also has smaller lakes. Namakan is 16 miles long and 7 miles wide at one point (16 by 11 kilometers). The park is known for boating, camping and snowmobiling; its dark skies; and abundant wildlife, including wolves, bald eagles, moose and beavers.
Grossheim had served as a ranger there for 23 years and was an experienced boat operator, familiar with navigating the lakes, the park service said.
“Kevin was much loved by all and always known to go above and beyond,” park Superintendent Bob DeGross said in a statement.
National Park Service Deputy Director Frank Lands ordered American flags lowered at national parks through sunset Wednesday in Grossheim’s honor. Gov. Tim Walz issued a similar order for state buildings in Minnesota and encouraged people, businesses and other organizations to lower their flags, too.
“Kevin Grossheim was a dedicated ranger and public servant, known for his unwavering commitment to helping others,” Walz tweeted Tuesday.
In this undated photo released by the Voyageurs National Park, park ranger Kevin Grossheim, 55, of Kabetogama, Minn., is seen on his boat at Pike Island on Namakan Lake in Voyageurs National Park in northern Minn. (Voyageurs National Park via AP)
Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.
In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.
With the tiny supply of ritually pure oil that they found in the temple, they lit the menorah — and it stayed lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle, as well as the emphasis on cooking foods in oil such as potato pancakes called latkes, memorialize this miraculously long-lasting oil.
The dates of the holiday are based on Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually coincides with November-December in the Gregorian calendar.
This year, Hanukkah will be celebrated from Dec. 25, 2024, through Jan. 2, 2025.
Jews across the religious observance spectrum — from Reform to Conservative to Orthodox — focus on the same theme of bringing light into the darkness and emphasizing that even a small, against-the-odds effort can have a transforming effect.
For this reason, even though the Talmud reflects a dispute over the order of lighting, most start with one candle and increase the lighting by one more candle each night while reciting or chanting special blessings.
The candles are added from right to left, but lit from left to right on the menorah, thus always starting with the newest light. The special menorah used for Hanukkah has eight branches, with a ninth place for the candle called shamash from which all others are lit.
The tradition calls for candles with a real flame, though some also use electric ones in public displays, such as in hospitals, for safety reasons.
A menorah is lit in each household and traditionally is placed where it can be seen from the outside, such as a doorway or windowsill, to symbolize the spreading of God’s light to all nations.
The lighting of menorahs in city streets and parks has become more prominent in recent years in countries around the world, including in front of public landmarks.
In addition to menorah lightings, giving to charity and social works are also part of the celebration for many, reflecting the belief that the Jewish people are called by God to help make the world better for all.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Rabbi Peter Tarlow lights a candle on a menorah during a Chicanukah event at Holocaust Museum Houston on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)
