The Twin Cities Chanukah party was at a bowling alley, but another sport took prominence as Minnesota Vikings’ kicker Greg Joseph—fresh from a game-winning field goal against the rival Green Bay Packers days earlier—lit the menorah at the Chabad Young Professionals Uptown annual Chanukah party.

Titled “Lights and Strikes” this year, the celebration is annually a time for Twin Cities Jewish professionals to get together and celebrate. This year, they were joined by Joseph, who YJP Minneapolis co-director Sholom Brook describes as “a real mensch.”

“Greg is brimming with Jewish pride, and it meant so much to our community that he joined us and lit the menorah,” said Brook. “He’s a true inspiration.”

Joseph has long enjoyed a relationship with Chabad in cities where he’s played, as he put up a mezuzah in his Cleveland home hours after scoring his first game-winning kick as a rookie in 2018.