Children meet “Judah Maccabee” at Home Depot’s Yonkers Chanukah building workshop
By Robert Kalfus
In a world often beset by darkness, Chabad reaches out to each soul to help them ignite their spark and make them feel the warmth of Judaism. The holiday of Chanukah is especially well suited to accomplish spreading the light and joy of the miracle. Numerous Chanukah events welcome the public to increase and spread the light of Chanukah to all corners of Yonkers.
Last year, more than 250 people built their own menorah at Home Depot’s menorah building workshop in Yonkers. Children and adults were able to build their own menorah to use during Chanukah, making the mitzvah of lighting the menorah personally fulfilling and exciting. Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz of Chabad of Yonkers invites families to join this year’s workshop Sunday, Dec. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Home Depot, 601 Sprain Road, Yonkers, where participants will receive their own worker’s apron and meet “Judah Maccabee”.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano will welcome Hurwitz and Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, to Yonkers City Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 18, starting at 4:30 pm. A choir will lead spirited singing, and the traditional dreidel spinning game may be played while enjoying traditional Chanukah sufganiot jelly donuts.
The next pre-Chanukah event will be a children’s book reading Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. at Barnes & Noble, 2614 Central Park Ave., Yonkers.
Last year’s “Chanukah Village” at Ridge Hill has grown into “Chanukah City” in the Ridge Hill shopping center, at 1150 Market St. The World’s first Chanukah virtual reality experience will start Sunday, Dec. 22 from 1 to 4 p.m., featuring rides, music and entertainment, a magician, a holiday train ride, iceless ice skating, a “touch a truck” experience, crafts, a photo booth, special Chanukah donuts, Chanukah gelt (chocolate coins), a giant chocolate fountain, Lego stop-motion Chanukah robotics, 3D printing and more.
After the sun sets, the first light of Chanukah will be lit. Ridge Hill Chanukah City is sponsored by the Chabads of the Rivertowns, Briarcliff-Ossining, Bronxville, Scarsdale and Pelham, and the Greystone Jewish Center/Chabad of Yonkers. The Jewish holiday of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, starts this year after sunset Sunday, Dec. 22, when the first light of the eight-day holiday will be lit.
On Monday, Dec. 23 at 6 p.m., a Chanukah lighting and celebration at the Cross County Shopping Center, 8000 Mall Walk, will feature free traditional Chanukah food including kosher sufganiot donuts, hot latkes (potato pancakes) and chocolate gelt coins, and music from the Whats Up band !
On Thursday, Dec. 26, Rabbi Hurwitz will lead a Chanukah procession starting at Yonkers City Hall, 40 S. Main St., at 4:30 p.m., driving through Yonkers streets with a police escort, destined for a Chanukah party at Nahmias et Fils Distillery, 201 Saw Mill River Road. As occurred last year, many cars with “Happy Chanukah” signs and menorahs on top will illuminate Yonkers with a wonderful parade of menorahs and music. Chabad of Yonkers will make available a limited number of magnetically-attachable menorahs that will not damage cars. Register at Rabbi@JewishYonkers.com or call 914-963-8888 to reserve a menorah for your car top.
Send your Chanukah announcement to dmurphy@risingmediagroup.com, and look for more Yonkers Chanukah events in next week’s issue of Yonkers Rising
