Village Menorah to Light Up Winnetka

Chabad of Wilmette will ignite a public six-foot Hanukkah menorah erected at Station Park, followed by a community-wide celebration on Dec 2nd, the 1st night of the eight-day holiday. The celebration will feature holiday music, free giveaways, Judah the Maccabee in costume and lots and lots of sufganiyot, the traditional jelly donuts.

“This menorah serves as a symbol of Winnetka's dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship G‑d freely, openly, and with pride. This is true especially in America, a nation that was founded upon and vigorously protects the right of every person to practice his or her religion free from restraint and persecution,” said Rabbi Dovid Flinkenstein.

"I want my kids to grow up with pride in their Jewish heritage and a feeling of equality and self-confidence as Americans” said Jeff Wein of, who is looking forward to attending the public menorah lighting. “Chabad’s Hanukkah menorahs are an important development to help my child’s education. I wish they had this when I grew up.”

The Menorah lighting is part of the worldwide Hanukkah campaign, an initiative launched by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 1973. The campaign highlights and encourages the central theme of the holiday — publicizing the story of the Hanukkah miracle.

“The message of Hanukkah is the message of light,” added Flinkenstein. “The nature of light is that it is always victorious over darkness. A small amount of light dispels a lot of darkness. Another act of goodness and kindness, another act of light, can make all the difference.”

Today, the unprecedented public display of Hanukkah has become a staple of Jewish cultural and religious life, forever altering the American practice and awareness of the festival. Winnetka's menorah is one of more than 15,000 large public menorahs sponsored by Chabad in more than 100 countries around the world, including in front of landmarks such as the White House, the Eiffel Tower, and the Kremlin helping children and adults of all walks of life discover and enjoy the holiday message

Throughout the State of Illinois, Chabad will be presenting dozens of Hanukkah events and celebrations, including at the Governors mansion in Springfield, giant Dreidel Houses,“Chanukah Wonderlands” and more. To find a local event, or practically anywhere throughout the world, visit the international Hanukkah event directory at ChabadWilmette.com/HanukkahEvents.

For more information about Hanukkah and a local schedule of events visit ChabadWilmette.com/Hanukkah

# # #

ABOUT HANUKKAH

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, begins this year on the evening of Sunday, December 2 and concludes the evening of Monday, December 10. It recalls the victory of a militarily weak Jewish people who defeated the Syrian Greeks who had overrun ancient Israel and sought to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life and prohibit religious freedom. They also desecrated and defiled the Temple and the oils prepared for the lighting of the menorah, which was part of the daily service. Upon recapturing the Temple only one jar of undefiled oil was found, enough to burn only one day, but it lasted miraculously for eight. In commemoration, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting an eight-branched candelabrum known as a menorah. Today, people of all faiths consider the holiday a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness. Additional information about the Hanukkah holiday is available at ChabadWilmette.com/Hanukkah.

ABOUT THE SPONSORING ORGANIZATION

Chabad of Wilmette offers Jewish education, outreach and social service programming for families and individuals of all ages, backgrounds and affiliations. For more information, contact Chabad at 847.251.7707 and info@chabadwilmette.com or visit ChabadWilmette.com.