After a cold winter-day, Marcus pulled his wheelchair to the TV to relax and watch the news. Suddenly, he perked up when he heard the newscaster announce that tonight was the first night of Chanukah, said almost in passing, as footage of the National Menorah played on the screen. Tuning in to the program, he heard that anyone could call and get themselves a free menorah. Living in rural Oklahoma, hours from any established Jewish community, and without internet access, Marcus’s Jewish connection was almost forgotten. Marcus didn’t have his own computer, so he reached for his phone and called a friend who emailed the question to the National Menorah Office, “Do you have a menorah for me, too?”
Immediately, a menorah was sent out and arrived the next afternoon, brightening up Marcus’s day immeasurably, and reconnecting the flame of a Jew who felt forgotten.
Marcus’s story is just one of literally millions impacted each year by the National Menorah Lighting Ceremony on the Ellipse, across from the White House. This annual tradition, begun over 40 years ago, reaches way further than the thousands (less this year due to the pandemic) who attend the lighting in-person each year. Last year the event was seen by over 55 million people via newscasts in the media and livestreams in all 50 states in the USA, and around the world (a statistic independently verified by media monitors) – the greatest reach of pirsumei nissah (sharing the miracle publicly) on the planet. Featured annually on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, and even the focus of skits on such shows at Saturday Night Live, the Daily Show, Jimmy Fallon etc., this event connects even the most isolated and remote Jews to the warm and inspiring message of Chanukah.
The National Menorah is a tremendous national source of deep Jewish pride for so many, and a reminder of the unprecedented freedom of religion that Jews are blessed with in the United States. Each year, this 32 foot menorah is lit with participation by dignitaries, which have included the President and the Vice President of the United States, as well as Cabinet members, each of whom represent the President and the administration’s support of this tradition. Dubbed the “National Menorah” by President Reagan in 1981, the National Menorah has symbolically been a champion of the right to light a menorah even on public property, setting an example for thousands of similar events across the globe. On the Ellipse, National Military Bands, latkes, donuts, Dreidelman and Menorah kits remain exciting staples of this cherished annual tradition.
For the last 26 years, the National Menorah has also hosted the National Menorah Essay Contest, more recently dedicated in honor of Rabbi Mendy Deren of blessed memory, where thousands of children from across the country have competed in an effort to share what Chanukah means to them, in today’s modern world.
Last year’s essay winner, Isabel Alperin, a 4th grader at Mazel Day School, shared “The miracle of Chanukah is [about] bringing back the flame that went out…I think this is a reminder that having faith and carrying the light of hope is what keeps the flame burning.”
Back in Oklahoma, Marcus would agree.
The National Menorah Lighting is entirely privately funded by American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) due to the separation of church and state.
For the next 36 hours, you can be a part of supporting this incredible initiative, at Charidy.com/stepitup
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