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PHOTO: The 2019 Brunswick Chabad menorah. (Chabad of Brunswick Facebook photo)
BRUNSWICK — Chabad of Brunswick will light a public nine-foot Hanukkah menorah on the Town Mall on Sunday, Dec. 13, the fourth night of the eight-day holiday.
While the scope of the ceremony will be limited amid Maine’s ongoing coronavirus emergency, the lights will shine forth as brightly as ever, organizers said. This year’s menorah lighting is done with the recognition of the crucial need for a message of hope during what for many is a very difficult time, this said.
Chabad will also distribute menorahs, candles, and Hanukka-at-home kits to those celebrating at home.
“The menorah serves as a symbol of light and hope for us today amidst the darkness of the pandemic, as it did for generations before us,” said Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz. “The flames of the menorah shine out into the night, reminding us that even when confronted with much darkness, a tiny light can dispel it all. Another act of goodness and kindness, another act of light, can make all the difference.”
This year, the holiday has added significance as so many will be isolated at home on Chanukah amid these difficult times, organizers said. As the rebbe — Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson — would often teach, the menorah is a reminder that light can be brought to the darkest of times, and uniquely, at the core of the holiday’s observance is sharing the light with others who may not be experiencing it.
To ensure everyone is safe, the menorah lighting will be limited, with all participants distanced and wearing masks to ensure the event is safe. Following the menorah lighting ceremony, pre-packaged menorah kits and holiday treats-to-go will be distributed.
The menorah lighting is part of the worldwide Hanukkah campaign launched by Schneerson in 1973. The campaign highlights and encourages the central theme of the holiday — publicizing the story of the Hanukkah miracle and the victory of light over darkness, a message of hope greatly needed today. In the decades since the Rebbe’s Chanukah awareness campaign began it has revitalized widespread observance of the Festival of Lights and brought it to the mainstream, returning what some have mistakenly dismissed as a minor holiday to its roots as a public proclamation of the ultimate triumph of freedom over oppression.
Throughout thesate, Chabad is organizing several giant menorah displays and public menorah lightings, To find a local event in Maine visit jewishbrunswick.com/chanukah”>jewishbrunswick.com/chanukah.
