American Airlines Arena in Miami hosted quite a Chanukah celebration this past Sunday when the Miami Heat played the Utah Jazz.
The Heat partnered with Chabad of Florida to host the festivities as part of their tenth annual Jewish Heritage Night.
Just as the Jazz called a timeout during the first quarter of play, Miami Heat Announcer Michael Baiamonte asked the announced crowd of 19,600 in attendance to please rise for the lighting of the first candle of Chanukah.
The NBA players stood and watched as the large arena crowd sang the blessings along with Israeli Jewish Music star Gad Elbaz. The Menorah was then kindled by Marc Taubenkimel, a representative for the event sponsor Publix Supermarkets.
Chanukah themed music filled the arena as frolicking fans danced up and down on the big screen and throughout the stands, aglow with their brightly colored Jewish Heritage Night t-shirts.
For Half Time, thousands of fans poured out onto the XFINITY East Plaza where they witnessed a grand Menorah Lighting Ceremony assisted by NBA Hall of Famer, Alonzo Mourning.
To the delight and amazement of the crowd, the nearly seven-foot Heat legend, donning a black suede kippa, easily lit the eight-foot-high shamash candle without any platform assistance.
The spectacular Publix Half Time Show followed, featuring an electrifying concert by Elbaz. As Heat mascot Burnie egged on the crowd, they erupted louder and louder in song and cheer.
Event organizer, Rabbi Pinny Andrusier of Chabad of SW Broward explained, “Working with the Heat to create Jewish Heritage Night allows me the opportunity to combine my passion for Jewish outreach and my love of sports”.
“To see 20,000 fans participate in a Menorah lighting ceremony while enjoying a basketball game and munching on kosher hot dogs and donuts is very special.”
“It’s South Florida’s most anticipated holiday event,” added Rabbi Chaim Lipskar of the Shul of Downtown and co-organizer.
More than 5000 Jewish Heritage tickets were sold this year of which several hundred tickets went to sponsor children and families dealing with special needs or illness. Heads of the Jewish Federation for Greater Miami, Broward and South Palm Beach, as well as prominent local dignitaries, were also on hand.
The evening was capped off with a tremendous performance and improbable comeback by the Miami Heat as Dwyane Wade made a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds left for what became the winning score. Perhaps in line with the Chanukah theme of miracles, the Miami Heat enjoyed a little miracle of their own, rallying from being down by 19 to beat the Utah Jazz 102-100.
In all, the fun of basketball, especially the Heat win, combined with the joy of Chanukah to bring huge smiles and roaring cheers to the many excited fans strolling out of the arena after the game.
To help promote Jewish Heritage Night, the Heat’s mascot made several appearances at local Publix supermarkets. In conjunction with a special Publix promotion, shoppers were able to pose with Burnie and enjoy free tastings of kosher holiday staples displayed throughout the store. In fact, Burnie himself could not resist and was seen wolfing down a few servings of potato latkas.
“What a wonderful way to start the festival,” said David Huebner of North Miami Beach. “Chabad always puts on a great event here with the Miami Heat. I look forward the entire year to come here with my kid to celebrate Chanukah and Jewish Heritage Night.”
Ashira Weiss, Lubavitch International & Joseph Maoz, contributed to this article
