Chanukah Is Here!
BY MATHEW KLICKSTEIN
Chabad Lubavitch Centers of Greater Baltimore is once again partnering with the Mayor’s Office for the annual lighting of the 30-foot Esther Ann Menorah, sponsored by David S. Brown Enterprises.
The event will take place as part of the Baltimore Chanukah Festival on Sunday, Dec. 25 at McKeldin Square in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor at 4:30 p.m.
“It’s a great time, and similar events have been taking place around the globe,” said Rabbi Levi Druk, whose Chabad of Downtown is hosting.
“This gives us the opportunity to celebrate as Jews in America,” Druk continued. “It’s also exciting because the Chabad of Downtown is growing, and this is a way to continue reaching out to and helping to grow the Jewish community downtown.”
Druk detailed that the event is free, tents and patio heaters will be in place to combat the colder weather, and there will be plenty of hot cider, along with Chanukah doughnuts.
The Brooklyn Sandwich Co. food truck from Washington, D.C., will be on the premises for those interested in purchasing New York-deli style glatt kosher food.
There will be various other family-friendly activities to enjoy at the event’s Chanukah Wonderland starting at 2 p.m., including face painting, cookie decorating, an olive press show (in which children can press their own oil), live music and an exhibition by the Dreidel Dancers (who Druk said are exactly what they sound like — dancers dressed up as large dreidels: “They make for good pictures!”).
It’s important to note, as Druk added, that this year’s Chanukah Car Parade will not take place as part of the downtown menorah lighting and will instead occur on Monday, Dec. 26 from 6 p.m. to roughly 7 p.m in the northwest part of Baltimore.
The parade route this year starts and ends at Cheder Chabad in Park Heights, with Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum — director of the Jewish Uniformed Services Association of Maryland — suggesting the best spot to catch the 75 or so cars fashioned with their own menorah in the procession will be at the intersection of Fallstaff Road and Clarks Lane at around 6:30 p.m.
“Sometimes, we have a trailer with a big menorah that joins the parade,” Tenenbaum said. “Usually, we have a firetruck, the Hatzalah ambulance … and many times even stretch limos to add to the festivities. It’s all a big part of spreading the light throughout the city.”
More information for the downtown Chanukah Festival and Car Parade events at BaltimoreChanukahFestival.com.
|
Full Article: http://jewishtimes.com/55567/55567/special_coverage/chanukah/ |
