Photos (c) Robert Kalfus 2025
People gathered to celebrate Hanukkah, including (at left) Lakisha Collins-Bellamy; DPW employees, including DPW Deputy Commissioner Jason Baker, Brent Delman,and Steve Sachs.
Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz speaking to the synagogue’s Hanukkah party on the eighth and last night of Hanukkah
Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz welcomed Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to Chabad of Yonkers
By Robert Kalfus
Chabad of Yonkers Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz continued to joyfully “spread the light” of Chanukah on Wednesday, Hanukkah’s fourth night, lighting at Yonkers City Hall with Mayor Mike Spano and dignitaries each lighting one of the candles, followed by a large buffet of kosher food, traditional such as latkes, (potato pancakes), sufganiot (jelly donuts) and even sushi.
Starting at the office of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz led a Chanukah procession of almost two dozen cars, each with a brightly lit electric “Happy Chanukah” menorah on top, illuminating Yonkers with a wonderful parade of menorahs, circling Yonkers streets, passing Home Depot, ending at Yonkers Dept. of Public Works for speeches from Yonkers officials, and lighting a giant almost ten foot tall menorah! Rabbi Mendy, his wife Chanie and children gave free traditional sufganiot, sugar topped, cream filled icing donuts of icing and chocolate, and hot latkes (potato pancakes fried in oil), and gave pizza and Chanukah gelt to both adults and children. The Yonkers DPW provided hot chocolate.
Yonkers Police Traffic Unit Sgt. Mario Vecchiariello, who had organized the Yonkers motorcade safeguarding the menorah parade, was honored with lighting the shammash candle at the DPW. Yonkers resident Brent Delman, the “Cheese Guy” lit the fourth candle, and synagogue member Steve Sachs lit the last candle.
Hanukkah’s eighth and final night celebrations Sunday night started at Chabad of Yonkers with music, a kosher full course offering of food, including music, pasta, mini franks, mini eggrolls, latkes (potato pancakes), salads and sufganiot (jelly donuts). Before sunset, many proceeded to Untermyer Gardens to light the giant, 10 foot tall chanukiah overlooking the Hudson River and witness sunset on the winter solstice’s shortest day of the year.Chanukah, the Festival of Light, remembers the miracles of a band of Jewish partisan fighters defeating the overwhelming Syrian-Greek forces, liberating the Jewish nation and bestowing independence, and the miracle of the single cruze of undefiled oil, sufficient for only one day of kindling the lights in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, lasting for eight days, the length of time necessary until new pure olive oil could be pressed, allowing the defiled Temple to be rededicated.
