All are welcome at the free, family-friendly event on Sunday, Dec. 29
Alameda will shine even brighter this Sunday, December 29, as the Jewish community comes together for its eighth annual public menorah lighting to celebrate Hanukkah. Chabad of Alameda is bringing back its popular 7-foot Lego menorah for a second year. The event at Washington Park starts at 3:30 p.m. with the menorah lighting at 4:30 p.m., and is free and open to the public.
“This year’s celebration will be larger and grander than last year, and the menorah’s flames will shine bright as a beacon of hope, Jewish pride and as a message of the ultimate triumph of light over darkness,” said Rabbi Meir Shmotkin, director of Chabad of Alameda. “The message of this menorah is that despite everything going on in our world, the Jewish people stand tall, proud and confident.”
In addition to the lighting of the giant Lego menorah, there will be an array of family-friendly holiday activities, including a bounce house, Hanukkah crafts, music, and a selection of traditional Hanukkah foods such as hot potato latkes, fresh donuts and Chocolate gelt.
This year’s Menorah lighting carries added significance as it marks 50 years since the first public menorah was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974. Today, public menorahs and Hanukkah displays have become a staple of Jewish culture and American public life. Alameda’s Lego menorah is one of over 15,000 large public menorahs throughout the world, including those at the White House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the St. Louis Arch, the Great Wall of China, and Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
“Celebrating Hanukkah is a potent point of light, Jewish pride and confidence for American Jews at this fraught time,” added Rabbi Shmotkin. “The celebration of the holiday and the miracle of Hanukkah represents the liberty we all have to celebrate our traditions proudly and publicly.”
Those who would like to attend are encouraged to RSVP online.
