At the entrance to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, Rabbis Aaron Raskin and Yankel Raskin of Chabad of Brooklyn Heights and Rabbi Yossi Rapp of Chabad Air placed a beautiful 10 foot Menorah in memory of Ari Halberstam to spread the light of Chanukah and freedom to all the cars and pedestrians that passed the busy intersection.
The electric Menorah was set up for the duration of the Chanukah holiday in memory of Ari Halberstam, who was murdered in a terrorist shooting attack in 1994 at this very intersection, at the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Menorah was lit at the crosswalk of the Bridge for the 8 days of Chanukah.
The Menorah was made possible through the hard work of Mrs. Devorah Halberstam, Ari’s mother, an honorary NYPD Commissioner who worked tirelessly with city officials to place the Menorah at this central and distinguished location.
Mrs. Devorah Halberstam said, “Thank you for the beautiful gesture of marking the Brooklyn Bridge where Ari died, Al Kiddush Hashem, with light. It would be exactly what he would want. Especially since Chanukah was when he received justice in the courts.”
Chabad of Brooklyn Heights conducts annually the ceremonies at the Rabbi Jacob J Hecht Menorah, the official Menorah of Brooklyn located in front of the supreme court and the Brooklyn Borough Hall, but “this year we wanted to do something new,” says Rabbi Aaron Raskin.
Rabbi Yossi Rapp of Chabad Air said they chose the spot because, “There is always room for more light, especially at a place like the Brooklyn Bridge, which unfortunately was the location of the devastating terrorist attack on the Chabad community. I am happy to be part of this great project.”
“This is a monument of light for Ari, who was full of light,” says Rabbi Yaakov Raskin of Brooklyn Heights.
That’s the way to go!
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