Throughout Israel, Chanukah Radiates Light in Every Direction

Jews around the world lit their menorahs on Sunday—the first night of Chanukah—commencing the eight-day Festival of Lights. As each new candle is added and as the menorah brightens the world each night, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries throughout Israel are working on countless ways to make the holiday shine in every place and for every person possible.

They have been organizing menorah-lightings, celebrations, programs, care packages, volunteer opportunities and more that Jews—of every age and background, resident and visitor alike—can become involved in during the holiday in some communal way.

The menorah in Ariel (Photo: Chabad of Ariel)

Chabad program directors report that this year, they barely had the need to advertise the many happenings during Chanukah; people have come to expect and look forward to Chabad’s menorah-lightings. This year, perhaps, holds even more meaning to Israelis as once again, over the last few months, the darkness of terrorism has attempted to ensnare the public where they live, work and walk.

Given recent events, the message of Chanukah has taken on a more exceptional role than usual. The fact that a small nation—surrounded by entities that want or demand it to abandon its Jewish identity and connection to its Creator—is ultimately victorious does not go unnoticed these days.

Bayamim haheim bizeman hazeh ... “in those days at this time,” as the Chanukah blessing goes.

Ariel

Rabbi Aharon and Basya Moshkevich—co-directors of Chabad of Ariel in Samaria—have so much planned that it’s difficult to know where to start describing their activities. Halfway into the holiday, they can list quite a lot.

The rabbi opens with: “Every night we have a main public menorah-lighting in the center of town. In addition to this, we have a couple of dozen yeshivah students who make the rounds every night, going from house to house to help guide people with their lighting, should they need it. We also offer a Chanukah day camp for the kids to keep them busy and happy throughout the week,” he continues, when many schools are closed for vacation.

A program for Russian speakers, where Rabbi Aharon and Basya Moshkevich, co-directors of Chabad of Ariel, speak about Chanukah, its meaning and its relevance today. (Photo: Chabad of Ariel)

“We even have a special program one evening aimed for Russian speakers, where we retell the story of Chanukah and its meaning, so that no one will feel left out. And last, but not least, we have a latke party for families that includes music and entertainment, allowing us to feel the joy and spread the light of the holiday from one Jew to the next.”

“We welcome one and all to join us,” emphasizes Moshkevich, “and take part in celebrating Chanukah with us.”

Tel Aviv

The ever-expanding, ever-bustling city of Tel Aviv displays menorahs in all kinds of places—on shops and buses, on restaurants windows and apartment buildings, and even drawn into the sand.

Israelis ride bicycles past a lit-up menorah displayed on the Tel Aviv municipality building. (Photo: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

But tourists have notably had a bit of a harder time connecting to Jewish holidays and Shabbat dinners in the busy city, especially in the well-known hotel area that parallels the promenade and the sea.

Enter Chabad, where a new center opened its doors recently to serve this contingent—aptly named Chabad on the Coast, and co-directed by Rabbi Eliyahu (“Eli”) and Shterna Sara Naiditch.

“We cater to all sorts of Jews—young professionals, new immigrants, lone soldiers, the elderly, and, of course, there are always tourists who want a welcoming place to come to,” says the rabbi. “We also get a lot of young students from North America who are accustomed to the ‘home away from home’ atmosphere at their campus Chabad centers.”

“This Chanukah,” he continues, “we have been blessed to provide things for one and all. We had a big public menorah-lighting on the first night at Gan Ha’atzmaut [Independence Garden], overlooking the beach near the hotels and attended by nearly 200 people. On Wednesday, we held a party aimed at young professionals in their 20s and 30s, with some great music.”

The recently established Chabad on the Coast, co-directed by Rabbi Eliyahu (“Eli’) and Shterna Sara Naiditch, held its very first public menorah-lighting on Sunday at a park overlooking the Tel Aviv promenade and the Mediterranean Sea. Here, the rabbi leads the event, which was attended by nearly 200 people. (Photo: Chabad on the Coast)

“On Thursday, we are holding a menorah-lighting and party that was prompted by a social-media campaign. And we will visit the nearby Givati Israeli Defense Forces base to bring a little extra love and attention to the soldiers, especially the lone soldiers,” who, like anyone without family nearby, can find holidays an especially difficult time.

“We will also be handing out little gifts, and tons of menorahs and sufganyiot”—the ubiquitous jelly doughnuts baked in bulk througout Israel during Chanukah. “And at the end of the week, we will not only be praying the evening service, but sharing our Friday-night meal together communally. We anticipate the entire holiday to be quite special.”

Eilat

Taking the road south all the way down to Eilat has always proven somewhat of a hike, but once there, festivities for the holiday abound. Rabbi Mendi Klein, director of Chabad of Eilat, says they have yet another year lined up with food, fun and light, serving the entire community, in particular the large concentration of Israeli soldiers based there.

Soldiers light menorahs on their military bases. (Photo: Chabad of Eilat)

Chabad centers have organized visits and packages to Israel Defense Forces soldiers for the eight-day Chanukah holiday. (Photo: Chabad of Eilat)

“We have nightly menorah-lightings all over the area—15 large menorahs are lit for the public every night,” says the rabbi’s wife, Chana Klein. “Our opening lighting is at the Ice Mall, where the effect was stupendous. We light at the other malls as well. Aside from that, we conduct lightings, one after the other, at the menorahs located at both the beginning and in the middle of the boardwalk, and up and around the different neighborhoods.

“Attendance is fantastic, and the people are simply remarkable,” she says, adding that “on Monday, we are hosting a special women’s Chanukah party.”

Rabbi Klein spoke about the huge number of IDF soldiers they reach with Chanukah’s nightly growing light. “We have 15,000 soldiers at different bases in the Arava desert region, and we visit all of them. Throughout the holiday, we distribute 18,000 doughnuts. And we have 30 yeshivah students who come here to help make the rounds of bases and tend to our soldiers.”

By no means do the Kleins limit their welcome to soldiers. The area is replete with tourists and Israelis from other parts of the country, who visit for a dose of warm weather at the beginning of December. As the rabbi states in his equally warm invitation to anyone in the area: “If you really want to feel Chanukah, come to Eilat!”

“We have 15,000 soldiers at different bases in the Arava desert region, and we visit all of them,” says Rabbi Mendi Klein, director of Chabad of Eilat. His wife, Chana Klein, adds that they also hold sizable Chanukah menorah-lightings and events for local residents and the throngs of tourists there. (Photo: Chabad of Eilat)

Singing, dancing and relishing the eight-day holiday of Chanukah in Israel. (Photo: Chabad of Eilat)

Safed

All the way up north, several Chabad Houses can be found in the sacred city of Safed. Ascent-Inner Dimensions of Jewish Life in Safed—directed under the auspices of Rabbi Yaakov Leiter—is known to serve a constant stream of students, local businesspeople, and, of course, the tourists.

Tali Kaplan, a major force on Rabbi Leiter’s team, helps make sure that activities there shine even more brightly during the holiday.

A menorah in a window in the northern Israeli city of Safed. A Chanukah tour, led by guides organized by Ascent of Safed, works it way along the streets and lanes there, focusing on the vast array of lights for the holiday. (Photo: Ascent of Safed)

“Of course, we hold a central public menorah-lighting every night, but we also have what we call our ‘Tour of the Chanukiyot’ [menorahs] during the week. We get between five and 10 groups per day that are led around the Old City—each group with its own individual guide—in the afternoons just before the flames are lit at sunset.”

The guides, some of them yeshivah students, offer information about Chanukah, the Old City and its mesmerizing history, weaving a web that “almost has a dreamlike quality to it,” notes Kaplan. “As the sun goes down and people start to light their menorahs, the tour continues through the winding streets and lanes, each window filled with light, each menorah different than their neighbors’—all styles, colors and materials. It is art in itself, and makes a striking and resounding impression, pulling you into a different zone, as it were.

And then we make our way from there to the center of town, where we hold the main public lighting.”

Ascent of Safed, directed under the auspices of Rabbi Yaakov Leiter, is known to serve a constant stream of students, those who run local businesses, and, of course, the tourists. Festive music was offered over Chanukah. (Photo: Ascent of Safed)

“You are bound to hear the klezmer music calling out to you—calling for you to join in the dance, just as the flames of the Chanukah lights dance upon their wicks.” (Photo: Ascent of Safed)

Ascent of Safed also holds classes and lectures—“everything to ignite the spark of Jewish unity until it bursts into a flame of light,” declares Kaplan, who says they get groups of people from across the board. “We have groups of students from various schools that come in, and we also get groups of employees from area factories and businesses who organize Chanukah activities for their workers.”

Between the walking, learning, eating and lighting, concludes Kaplan, “you are bound to hear the klezmer music calling out to you—calling for you to join in the dance, just as the flames of the Chanukah lights dance upon their wicks.”

For Chanukah information, including public menorah-lightings, inspiration, recipes, events for the whole family and more, visit the Chabad.org Chanukah 2015 page here.

A young woman snaps a photo of a menorah made from glass beer bottles outside of a popular bar in central Jerusalem. (Photo: Mendy Hechtman/Flash90)