Kids Join for Menorah Lighting and Joyful Chanukah Party at OYYL

Following the lighting at 770, families filled Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch of Crown Heights’s Binyan Sheleg for a public Menorah lighting on the fifth night of Chanukah, followed by an interactive children’s program and rally dedicated in honor of those affected by the Bondi terror attack. Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch welcomed a large crowd of children and parents, creating an atmosphere charged with Chanukah excitement and community unity.

From the moment the doors open, there is a lively energy in the room- children arrive bundled in winter coats, greet friends, tug parents toward the entrance, and scan the space to see what is waiting for them. This year, the gathering carries an added weight of meaning. OYYL typically hosts a Chanukah party for its own Cheder families, known for warm, well-run, high-quality programming. But in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, OYYL deliberately expands the event to embrace the broader Crown Heights community with a clear statement: when darkness tries to diminish Jewish light, the response is to increase it- by gathering more children, more families, and more public celebration of Yiddishkeit.

Before the lighting, Rabbi Schneiderman- Founder and Director of OYYL- opened the program with a few words that set a deeper tone for the evening. He explains that the fifth night of Chanukah carries a unique power: it reveals a light that can elevate a depth of darkness- what Chassidus calls the “darkest klipah”- in a way that even Shabbos cannot, because the fifth night of Chanukah never falls on Shabbos. To illuminate that kind of darkness, he says, a special light is needed, and that is precisely the 5th light of Chanukah. He points the crowd back to the original miracle: the victory was not only military- it was spiritual, rooted in a refusal to compromise. The Yidden could have lit with oil that was not fully pure, but they insist on taharah, and they are rewarded with the discovery of pure oil that carried the seal of a Kohen Godol. That uncompromising purity becomes the channel for miracles.

Rabbi Schneiderman continues by connecting Chanukah directly to Geulah and the Beis HaMikdash. Chanukah is not merely a remembrance of the past; it is a living message about how redemption is drawn down- through light that contains no mixture, no contamination, and no compromise. He references the words, “Ner Havayah nishmas adam”- that the soul of a Jew is the candle of Hashem- and explains that the fifth light of Chanukah hints to the fifth level of the neshamah, the yechidah, a point of absolute oneness that cannot be compromised or tainted. That is the strength being revealed in these moments, he says, and it is through this strength that Jews merit miracles “as in the days of Chanukah.”

From there, his message becomes practical and immediate. The answer to the darkness experienced in the world is not retreat and not dilution- it is an uncompromised chinuch and an uncompromised approach to Inyonei Geulah u’Moshiach. Chanukah itself, he reminds the crowd, is chinuch: dedication, training, and the choice to keep the flame pure. On this fifth night, in public, the community gathers to proclaim that no one will stop the Jewish people from spreading light.

The Menorah is then lit by dedicated OYYL mechanech Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, and as the flames rise, children stand together watching, singing along, and taking in the feeling of pride and Achdus that comes when a community celebrates openly. As a special Chanukah treat, the children receive a $2 bill as Chanukah gelt, which quickly becomes an early highlight-children hold them up to show friends and carefully tuck them away.

A major highlight of the program is a lively performance by the beloved “Twin from France,” whose energy fills the room and immediately draws children in. Laughter and applause spread quickly as the show gets underway, and parents standing along the sides smile as they watch the children fully engaged and enjoying every moment.

After the performance, the evening transitioned into a series of interactive workshops, and the classrooms became a joyful flow of activity. At one station, children decorate donuts, choosing toppings, adding colorful sprinkles and drizzles, and proudly carrying their creations before taking the first bite. Nearby, children design and decorate dreidels, adding personal touches and comparing designs with friends. At the shamash station, children roll and shape their own shamash with their hands, enjoying the chance to create something directly connected to the Chanukah mitzvah. One of the busiest tables is the edible menorah workshop, where children carefully assemble “menorahs” from treats and snacks, arrange the “candles,” show them off, and then happily enjoy what they made. And to the surprise of many, a natural lip balm workshop becomes a favorite as well, with children mixing simple ingredients, pouring them into small containers, and leaving with something practical they are proud to take home and use this winter season.

The evening concludes with a spirited Children’s Rally, featuring the 12 Pesukim and fun prizes. This year, the rally prizes are dedicated in honor of all those affected by the Bondi terror attack, a meaningful touch that reinforces the message of the evening: pain is real, but the Jewish response is to strengthen connection to Torah, mitzvos, and unity- and to add light.

By the time families begin heading home, children leave smiling and energized, carrying gelt, crafts, prizes, and workshop creations. OYYL is honored to welcome the Crown Heights community for an evening filled with light, laughter, and true Chanukah simcha, and to share a message lived out in action- when someone tries to diminish our light, we respond by adding more light, with purity, with strength, and with unwavering chinuch!