Police Chief Jason Cutler lit the menorah candles at Library Point, an event that the Chabad Center has hosted for more than a decade.
The borough collaborated with the Chabad Center of Camden and Burlington Counties to celebrate Hanukkah with a giant menorah lighting at Library Point on Dec. 21.
Participants – Jewish and non-Jewish – gathered shortly before sunset in a tradition the center has celebrated in Haddonfield for a decade and a half. Laizer Mangel is a rabbi at Chabad and a key figure in organizing the event to bring the community together and celebrate a holiday that honors light.
“For many years, it was a small group of people that would attend, the mayor and some delegates and a few community members,” said Mangel.
But over the past five years, the tradition has drawn more and more people, he added. Despite the near freezing temperatures, nearly 150 people came out to see this year’s menorah lighting on the second to last night of Hanukkah. It was the largest turnout in the borough yet.
“It’s such a beautiful celebration to have so many people come out, not just people of the Jewish faith, but people of all faiths who stand with the message of freedom of religion and freedom to practice and celebrate one’s tradition, especially in light of the terrible massacre a few days earlier in Bondi,” Mangel noted, referencing the mass shooting in Australia on Dec. 14 that killed 15 people celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah.
But the borough event focused on celebrating light and life in the face of such darkness in the world, reflecting one of the main messages of the holiday.
Guests got donuts donated by Mia’s Meals in the borough, as well as traditional latkes, eaten during Hanukkah because they are fried in oil.
Oil plays a vital role in Hanukkah. After the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in 167 A.D., Jews rededicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem, finding a single vial of pure oil that was enough to light the menorah for just one day, but miraculously made it glow for eight.
For the children at the Chabad Center, there were tables set up with canvasses for painting Hanukkah-themed images, and a fire juggler was on hand.
Mayor Dave Siedell had the honor of lighting the shamosh – or anchor candle – that serves as the spine for a menorah. Police Chief Jason Cutler, himself Jewish, lit the rest of the candles.
Mangel expressed his appreciation for the active role the borough took in organizing the event, including providing trash cans and enhanced police protection.
“We thank Haddonfield for being a real partner with us in this and helping to promote the event and to make sure the event happens …” the rabbi noted. “We really feel blessed that it’s not just single-handedly pulling it off, but it’s with the help of Haddonfield itself, doing whatever they can to lend a hand.”
