Jewish communities around the world are readying the frying pans, constructing towering candelabras and encouraging an increase in acts of kindness in preparation for the fast-approaching holiday of Chanukah. The eight-day Festival of Lights begins this year the night of Dec. 1.
Commemorating the triumph over the Syrian-Greeks thousands of years ago and the miracle of a small jug of oil lasting long enough for the eight-day rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, Chanukah reminds the world of the power of light over darkness, says Rabbi Pinny Andrusier, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of South Broward in Hallandale, Fla.
That’s why, explains the rabbi, locations stretching from Australia to Alaska will witness grand public celebrations and menorah lightings; and why, in his own South Florida, the Miami Heat basketball team is hosting Jewish Heritage Night. The message of Chanukah, he emphasizes, is universal.
“Basketball is about physical giants and Chanukah is about spiritual giants,” explains Andrusier. “We hope to kindle the sparks in every soul to be a spiritual giant, and that everyone will come away with a message of Jewish pride and unity to spread to all corners of the world.”
Presented by Chabad of Florida and sponsored by a coalition of local businesses, the Miami Heat event will take place during the team’s Dec. 1 face off against the Detroit Pistons. Guests will receive a T-shirt and special Chanukah card, and directors of area Chabad Houses will take to the court before the game. Halftime will include a menorah lighting ceremony and concert with Dr. Laz. An estimated 20,000 people will be on hand for the occasion.
“The event’s success last year was overwhelming,” says Andrusier, “and we hope to be able to reach it this year as well.”
For the last night of the holiday, Chabad of Florida will be hosting an estimated 10,000 guests for its 31st-annual Chanukah Festival at Gulfstream Park, where Benny Friedman and child prodigy Ethan Bortnick are scheduled to perform. Elsewhere in the state, Chabad Outreach of Margate will welcome about 150 people for a Chanukah celebration at a local shopping center featuring a menorah lighting and charity dreidel-spinning competition. (For a worldwide directory of Chanukah events, click here.)
A Towering Chocolate Treat
On the other side of the world, Rabbi Chaim and Mina Greisman, directors of Chabad of Stockholm, will similarly be sharing the holiday lights with Jewish residents of Sweden. The couple is planning a grand menorah lighting in the capital’s central square, and for the third year, the rabbi will travel to the northern city of Umea to conduct the planet’s northernmost Chanukah celebration.
Home to anywhere from 50 to 100 Jewish resident, Umea sits 250 miles from the Arctic Circle.
“Because it’s such a small community with very little Jewish activity during the year,” says Greisman, “Chanukah is our chance to meet with the residents and really inspire them.”
In Bangalore, India, Rabbi Tzvi and Noa Rivkin will be running Chanukah programs geared to the youngest members of the community. Their Hebrew school class, comprised mostly of Israeli children, will perform a holiday show and dance illuminating the theme of light’s victory over darkness. In addition, craftsmen from a nearby village will bring holiday-themed items – such as an oil flask – to teach the students about the Chanukah miracle. The Rivkins will also host a community-wide party featuring the traditional fried potato pancakes known as latkes, fried doughnuts and a presentation.
In North America’s northwest, Chabad of Downtown Vancouver, Canada, also has children in mind. On Dec. 5, Rabbi Binyomin Bitton will light a 275-pound pure chocolate menorah standing almost four feet tall. Designed by local chef Alik Schastlivenko, the candelabra’s dimensions hew closely to those recorded by the 13th-century rabbinic sage Maimonides. After its candles burn out, organizers will cut the menorah into pieces and distribute the treats to attendees.
“I hope the parents won’t be upset,” laughs Bitton. “But my whole idea was to create a menorah that the children will always remember. I want this menorah to be stamped into their memory forever.”
Aviva Kaminsky, who will attend the event with her two children, imagines their amazement at the large piece of chocolate. She marvels at its educational value.
“I’m taking my children to learn and understand what Chanukah really is,” says Kaminsky. “We don’t have such a large Jewish community here, so taking my children to the event will help them to understand how important Chanukah is to our family.”
Further south in Oxnard, Calif., the local Chabad House is also planning a full lineup of holiday events, including its annual three-community festival at Ventura Harbor. The bash will feature live music, a BMX bike stunt show, a party at the Point Mugu Naval Base, a menorah lighting at a local park and a child-friendly latke-making demonstration.
“The festival [last year] was amazing. I had never seen something so out in the open and public before for Chanukah,” says Oxnard resident Melanie Lee. “The celebration really brings me back to my childhood.”
Judy Goodman, who has lived in the city for 20 years, echoes Lee’s sentiments.
“I’ve been to every festival that they’ve had so far,” says Goodman. “They’re really great because they give me a sense of community and make me proud to be a Jew. To see the menorah in such a public place brings tears to my eyes.”
And for Jan Schulman, who has lived in Oxnard for 24 years, the events are all about warmth.
“You can really sense the warmth of the rabbi and his wife and the entire community coming together,” says Schulman. “They all just make it a wonderful time for everyone, and bring heart, soul and spirituality to the event.”
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