Hanukkah Parade Will Feature Menorahs On Fire Trucks: Dec 4

From Chabad of Upper Montgomery County: Flashing fire trucks with Hanukkah menorahs strapped to their top will lead the way in the Upper Montgomery County Hanukkah Parade beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, the third night of the eight-day holiday.

Organized by Chabad of Upper Montgomery County together with the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, hundreds will join the procession in a community-wide Hanukkah celebration and showing of Jewish pride.

Stepping off from Rockville Volunteer Fire Department’s Station 3, the parade route will make stops in the Fallsgrove, Potomac Glen and Washingtonian Woods communities, in addition to the Hanukkah Wonderland located at the Kentlands Shopping Center.

At Hanukkah Wonderland, participants will enjoy dozens of family-friendly activities and crafts including Hanukkah-themed puppet making, sand art and moonbounce, as well as holiday movie making a Jewish dance machine and the opportunity to dress up as Judah Maccabee.

The parade is set to culminate with a community-wide event featuring live music and a fire-juggling show, which will lead to the outdoor community menorah-lighting ceremony.

“The message of Hanukkah is the message of light,” said Rabbi Sholom Raichik, co-director of Chabad of Upper Montgomery County. “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.”

The Hanukkah Fire Truck Parade, Hanukkah Wonderland and the community-wide Menorah lighting are 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.

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.
Throughout Upper Montgomery County, Chabad will be presenting numerous Hanukkah events and celebrations, including Hanukkah wonderland at Kentland’s Square Shopping Center in Gaithersburg begining Sunday, Nov. 25, and a family Hanukkah party on Saturday, Dec. 8.

For more information about Hanukkah, Hanukkah Fire Truck Parade and a local schedule of events visit www.OurShul.org.

Image via Chabad of Upper Montgomery County