Live: “Menorah in the D” Live From Detroit

The 11th Annual Menorah in the D will take place Nov. 28 at 5 p.m., and after last year’s virtual-only event due to the pandemic.

The event, put on by the Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan, will offer individuals the option to attend in-person at Campus Martius or to join virtually via livestream.

“This year, we don’t want to go backwards, we only go forward, so we’re going to have both,” said Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, vice president of Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan.

The annual event usually sees thousands of people gather in Downtown Detroit for the festivities and the lighting of the massive 26-foot menorah. The event is put on in partnership with the Federation, The Shul and Chabad in the D, among others.

Shemtov says the in-person event will be done in a safe way, taking current COVID conditions into consideration.

The in-person event begins at 5 p.m. and the livestream begins at 5:30, airing on COLlive.com.

The event will include greetings from community leaders and dignitaries, the torch ceremony with honorees from Detroit and around the world, and entertainment. There will also be a virtual afterparty on Zoom, taking place at 6:30 p.m.

The event will pay tribute to a hometown miracle, and will honor journalist Danny Fenster, who was recently released from prison in Myanmar.

Fenster, a Detroit native, was sentenced to 11 years in prison following his detention at Myanmar’s Yangon international airport in May. The editor of the online media outlet Frontier Myanmar was charged with breaching unlawful association, encouraging dissent against the military and was set to stand trial on additional charges of sedition and terrorism, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Fenster, 37, was one of dozens of local journalists detained after a military coup in February.

Myanmar’s government unexpectedly released him on Nov. 15, citing “humanitarian reasons.” It was a joyous moment for Fenster’s community in Detroit, says Rabbi Shemtov. “We were following the case closely and praying for Danny,” Shemtov told Chabad.org. “Danny experienced his own Chanukah miracle, and the Detroit community is overjoyed to welcome his home.”

After a year without the usual thousands attending the event, Shemtov says everyone is truly excited to come back Downtown.

“Being together, the spirit of being Downtown and lighting that menorah in the center of the city is something truly invigorating,” Shemtov said. “It gives off a message of religious freedom, of the light to the menorah to the world around us, and a beautiful message for each and every individual, Jewish or not.

“Whether you’re live or online, this has become an event where the entire Jewish community comes together and celebrates our spirit and message of Judaism in a very special and unique way,” Shemtov added. “It really is a demonstration of how our entire community comes together to bring light and hope and to give a message that these might be challenging times, but we’re here together and to grow.”

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