The Chabad event celebrated 50 years of public menorahs in the U.S.
Community members watched the lighting of the world’s largest menorah, danced to traditional Jewish music and spun dreidels in Washington, D.C., on the first night of Chanukah Dec. 25.
The crowd at the Ellipse was so large that organizers had to set up extra chairs to accommodate the estimated 5,000 people.
Attendees heard live music from Jewish artists, learned the rich history of the National Menorah Lighting and witnessed a recipient of a bone marrow transplant meet her Gift of Life donor, all staples of the yearly tradition now in its 45th year.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch, emceed the event, which he and his father, Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, have organized for decades. This event was particularly notable as the 50th anniversary of public menorahs.
Shemtov expressed his gratitude for “unrelenting religious freedom,” given that five decades ago, menorahs weren’t visible fixtures of American culture. Now, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries, including Shemtov, will display nearly 15,000 menorahs around the world, according to its website.
‘Spreading the Light’
Ari Levin, a college student in Silver Spring, attended the menorah lighting with a friend.
“To me, it’s incredible,” he said of the 50-year milestone. “I think we’re spreading the light of Judaism and just the light of humanity. It’s so beautiful for everyone to come out here and celebrate together. It’s just much more special than doing it alone.”
One of this year’s winners of the National Menorah Essay Contest echoed the sentiment of spreading light. Tali Levine, a third grader from the Hebrew Academy in Orange County, Calif., read her essay on stage.
“A world without light would be a very sad place,” Levine read. “The oil lasting eight days was an open miracle that we were able to see with our very own eyes. This year, I am hoping that with the extra light, an open miracle will happen once again.”
“So pure, these words from children remind us of what this [holiday] is and what we are all about, the continuity of our heritage and of our traditions,” Shemtov addressed the crowd. “This is where we can gain our inspiration.”
Shemtov’s nephew, Avremel Feldman, had come from Australia to Brooklyn, New York, to study at the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters. At the event, Feldman handed out menorah kits to attendees and played a dreidel game with kids who stopped by his table.
“There’s an opportunity to come to a holiday like this, to spend time with people on the ground, creating events, engaging with Jews; I’d love to take part and do all the best I can,” Feldman said.
‘Our Future Is the Children’
The night’s resounding message was one of hope, specifically for the next generation. Feldman emphasized the importance of providing children with fun Jewish experiences, such as spinning the dreidel.
“Our future is the children,” Feldman said, drawing from Jewish texts. “At the time you were born as a nation, God said the guarantors are the children. Often, people focus on the higher echelons of society, the people who seem to be more important — which is important as well — but if there’s no focus on the kids tomorrow, we cease to exist.”
He added that children who have positive associations with Judaism are far more likely to return to the religion: “The goal is that kids who are Jewish should love being Jewish.”
Olga and Georgy Rabinov, Potomac residents, brought their two young children to the menorah lighting for the fifth year in a row in hopes of connecting them with their Jewish culture.
“That’s the reason that we’re here, because our kids learn in the public school and don’t actually celebrate [Jewish holidays at school],” Olga Rabinov said. “[The menorah lighting] is only one place, but we’re coming to show our kids what we do, to keep our heritage.”
Georgy Rabinov added that he wants his children to walk away from this experience with a sense of unity: “We don’t spend much time thinking about this kind of thing. It’s just important.”
In his remarks before lighting the first candle of the menorah, Shemtov said Chanukah is more than solely a celebration of the Maccabees’ military win: “It’s about light and purity more than an armed victory.”
“So take this Chanukah to seek an opportunity to help someone, to teach someone, to share an experience and warmth within someone else’s life,” Shemtov told the crowd. “We must teach the emerging new generation to illuminate, not eliminate; to light the world, not scorch the earth; usher in a time of peace, understanding and redemption for all of us, all over the world, as the prophets have promised us.”
