The Festival of Lights was kicked off in grand fashion as the Town of Oyster Bay Chabad held its annual menorah lighting and Hanukkah celebration in the Plainview Shopping Center.
The festivities drew hundreds, and by the joyful atmosphere, you could tell that each and every attendee was genuinely infected by the spirit of the holiday season. Chabad Rabbi Shmuel Lipszyc noted that the event, held on the second day of Hanukkah so as not to conflict with the big Chabad menorah lighting at the White House on Dec. 16, is a long-standing tradition in Plainview and will remain so for years to come.
“We’ve been holding this event for about 20 years,” he said. “Everywhere around the world, there are thousands of places that Chabad lights the menorah, and it’s a wonderful way to usher in the holiday.”
The menorah lighting celebration took place in a large tent situated in the parking lot of the Plainview Shopping Center. It consisted of traditional upbeat Jewish music provided by the TOB Chabad musicians and plenty of treats.
“We’re making special food, including latkes and jelly doughnuts,” said Lipszyc. “We’re deep-frying the doughnuts and letting people fill them and add their own toppings: frosting, chocolate, sprinkles. It’s a fun holiday food.”
A major centerpiece of the evening’s festivities—and a very appropriate one, Lipszyc said—was a performance by juggler Keith Leaf, who specializes in manipulating a variety of objects that tend to be aflame at the time.
“The reason we have a fire juggler is because Hanukkah is about fire and the menorah lighting,” said Lipszyc. “The miracle is that the light of the menorah was only supposed to last for one day, but it lasted for eight days. That’s why we have a fire juggler.”
In addition, an entire table stacked with Lego building blocks was the scene of a festive menorah-building contest, where the creativity of youngsters was put to the test and fun prizes awarded to the top contestants.
Lipszyc said that this year’s celebration was cobbled together on short notice, as he and his congregation had just returned from a trip to Israel to lend their support to their Jewish brethren far away. The trip, he said, heightened his congregation’s appreciation for the true meaning behind Hanukkah.
“We started our trip in the Gaza Ward to show unity with the Jews and to show that we’re behind them all the way,” he said. “We went to the Western Wall, wineries, the Dead Sea and we were there the day the rabbis were shot in Jerusalem by terrorists,” continued Lipszyc who visited wounded patients and lent them support. While he has been many times, this was the first time the congregation went to Israel, according to Lipszyc, and it was a very special experience.
The actual lighting of the menorah was ushered in to the tunes of a delightful choir and the prayers of Lipszyc, while attendees, well-wishers, local dignitaries and politicians surrounded the huge menorah erected in the middle of the shopping center. Among them was Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury), who extolled the virtues of the close proximity of both the Christian and Jewish holidays this year.
“This is our community and it’s wonderful,” said Jacobs. “To be celebrating Hanukkah a week apart from Christmas and to be involved in the whole celebration of both is just the greatest thing in the world.”
Denise Yousefi and her children have been attending the Chabad’s menorah lighting for the past four years. For her and her family, it is a wonderful way to usher in the Hanukkah season with her community.
“I believe that it’s the best holiday party in town,” said Yousefi. “My kids love it; the doughnuts, the Lego-making, the programs they have; it just gives such a special meaning.”
Likewise, Cheryl Goldberg and her husband made a point of stopping by to partake in some yummy latkes and revel in the joyous feeling that only the start of Hanukkah can bring.
“The Chabad’s menorah lighting is always a blast,” said Goldberg. “There’s really nothing else quite like it, and we always make a point, no matter what else we have going on, to come on down to experience it. It makes the holidays so much sweeter.”
