By Robert Kalfus
In a world often beset by darkness, Chabad reaches out to each precious 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 upcoming Chanukah events welcome the public to increase and spread the light of Chanukah to all corners of Yonkers.
Chanukah, the Festival of Light, remembers the miracles of a small outnumbered band of Jewish guerilla fighters defeating the overwhelming Syrian-Greek forces, liberating the Jewish nation and bestowing independence. It also celebrates 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.
Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz of Chabad of Yonkers/Greystone Jewish Center welcomed more than 200 people to Home Depot’s annual menorah building workshop in Yonkers on Dec. 8. Children, with the help of adults and Home Depot associates, received work aprons and used free materials to build and paint menorahs with their choice of colors to use during Chanukah, making the mitzvah of lighting the menorah personally fulfilling and exciting.
“Judaism is not a religion to be practiced just in the synagogue,” said Hurwitz. “Judaism is a way of life, a religion which informs all your actions wherever you are. We have our event at Home Depot, a secular place, where building a menorah makes for a more meaningful activity. While helping people make their menorah. You can buy a menorah, but making it brings a lot more excitement and meaning to a child. They look forward to lighting the menorah they built, not just anticipating receiving gifts.
Spreading the light of Chanukah as she helped others make menorahs, Hurwitz was blessed to hear a Home Depot associate singing the well-known tune “I had a Little Dreidl, I made it out of clay,” and asked him how he knew the song.
Chris Bradley replied: “I always heard my mother and grandmother singing it. My mother is Jewish. My grandmother was Jewish. Her name was Tannenbaum. I celebrated the holidays at home; Pesach, and Chanukah. The holidays were very special to me.”
Bradley, 36, was never Bar Mitzvah, he told Hurwitz. He said he decided to celebrate his Judaism and affinity with the Jewish people by putting on tefillin at Home Depot, a secular place now imbued with holiness where another of the scattered sparks of Judaism were found and ignited. Bradley put tefillin on his arm and forehead, signifying dedicating his strength and his intellect to the service of G-d, and said the Shema Yisrael (Hear O Israel) prayer.
Bradley said he is thankful to Home Depot Manager Trevor Meinke for hosting the Chanukah menorah building workshop, without which Bradley would not have made this connection. He said he “may no longer be available to work on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath).”
Hurwitz, his wife Rebbetzin Chanie, and their children distributed free chocolate donuts and bottled water, danced with Dreidl Lady Shelly Josephson, and invited all to spread the miracle of the light of Chanukah, and to participate in upcoming Chanukah activities in Yonkers.
