Public Menorah-Lighting Ceremony At Fairfield's Sherman Green Sunday

The following announcement is from Chabad of Fairfield:

FAIRFIELD, CT — Chabad of Fairfield will light a 12-foot public Chanukah menorah at Sherman Green, on Sunday, December 18, the first night of the eight-day Festival of Lights at 4:00 p.m. The menorah-lighting will be preceded by the “Chanukah Village,” from 2:00-4:00 p.m. as stores and venues along Post Road in Downtown Fairfield will be transformed into a magical holiday village replete with Chanukah crafts and activities.

The public Chanukah celebration at Sherman Green is being heralded as a response to the worrisome rise in antisemitic rhetoric nationally and the consequent concerns many have expressed with celebrating Chanukah proudly this year. Local leaders and dignitaries are expected to join the event in a show of support for the Jewish community.

“When confronted with hatred, we must not be cowered; instead, we need to hold our heads high and show our Jewish pride,” said Rabbi Shlame Landa, who directs Chabad of Fairfield with his wife Miriam. “Instead of hiding our Judaism, this year in Fairfield, we will gather more publicly and in larger numbers than ever to celebrate our heritage.”

Chanukah Village participants will pick up an activity map at Sherman Green Gazebo and proceed to enjoy face painting, a graffiti wall, an olive oil pressing demo, Chanukah storytimes, balloon sculpting, Chanukah nail art, photos with Judah the Maccabee, and much more. Traditional Chanukah treats including latkes (potato pancakes), donuts and chocolate gelt will be on offer, as well as complimentary dreidels and menorah kits to take home.

This year’s public menorah lighting brings added significance as Jewish communities worldwide celebrate the Year of Hakhel or “Gathering”, a once-in-seven-years Jewish tradition. The marking of this special occasion is part of the reason Chabad of Fairfield is hosting the Chanukah Village and is expecting record crowds at the menorah-lighting this year.

“Hakhel is a time to focus on the bonds of community that make us strong,” said Landa. “When we’re confronted with hatred and darkness, our unity in bringing more light to the world will surely prevail.”

- A Global Chanukah Awareness Campaign -
Chanukah emphasizes that each and every individual has the unique power to illuminate the entire world. It was to encourage this profound idea that the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, launched the Chanukah awareness campaign in 1973, of which Fairfield’s public Chanukah activities are a part of. The menorah faces the street, the Rebbe notes, and so bypassers immediately feel “the effect of the light, which illuminates the outside and the environment.” In the half-century since, the Rebbe’s campaign has brought Chanukah into the mainstream and altered awareness and practice of the festival, returning what some mistakenly dismissed as a minor holiday to its roots as a public proclamation of the triumph of freedom over oppression and a mainstay of Jewish cultural and religious life.

Chabad-Lubavitch's annual Chanukah campaign has distributed millions of menorahs to Jews around the world, and erected thousands of public menorahs to share its universal message of light over darkness with humanity at large. This year’s Chanukah campaign will be one of unprecedented light and joy in response to the darkness we face, seeing Chabad reach 8 million Jews in more than 100 countries. During this Year of Hakhel enormous crowds will once again be gathering on streets and thoroughfares, in great metropolises and small towns alike, to participate in the more than 15,000 large public menorahs Chabad will place worldwide. Chanukah parades and drive-in events—a perennial favorite—will take place as well, and this year more than 6,500 Chanukah menorah-topped cars will hit the road in Chabad menorah parades to share the Chanukah message of hope and joy around the globe.

An estimated 10 million unique visitors will use the practical how-to guides and discover the many layers of meaning at Chabad.org’s popular Chanukah.org website. Chabad will help bring the light and celebration of Chanukah into homes everywhere by distributing approximately 64 million Chanukah candles, more than 700,000 menorah kits, and 2.5 million holiday guides in 17 languages.