The first night of Hanukkah was a joyous one in Brooklyn, as hundreds of people from all over the country gathered to light the borough’s largest menorah in Grand Army Plaza.
It was a cold night, said Rabbi Shimon Hecht of Congregation B’Nai Jacob in Park Slope, but it was filled with light and celebration.
“The first night was unbelievable, the energy was special,” Hecht said. “So many people told us it was the best Hanukkah they ever had.”
Both longtime locals and visitors from far-away cities told Hecht how meaningful it was to celebrate Hanukkah in such a unique way, with so many people gathered together, he said.
Brooklynites will head to Grand Army Plaza to light the 32-foot-tall menorah every night of Hanukkah, as has been tradition for almost 40 years.
The celebration is meant to “publicize the miracle of Hanukkah,” Hecht said. The holiday marks an ancient victory and a holy miracle — when just one days’ worth of oil left in the Second Temple, in Jerusalem, which had just been reclaimed by the Maccabees, lasted for eight days.
Hanukkah carries with it a message of freedom, light over darkness, and the victory of the Maccabees over their enemies, Hecht said.
“We focus on the oil, the fact that it lasted for eight days and nights is a message to each and every one of us that if we put forth our best effort and search for that will, God will provide a miracle for us,” he said. “And what we think is only a little bit will end up being something that is so much greater than we ever imagined.”
Bobby Dweck, a lifelong Brooklynite, had a miracle of his own on Wednesday night as he headed to his first lighting of Brooklyn’s largest menorah. He went to the wrong place initially, he told Brooklyn Paper, and had to rush to Grand Army Plaza.
But he made it, and once he arrived, was shocked to be chosen to ride to the top of the menorah to help light the first candle. Getting to the top was “a little scary,” he said, but the experience was “exhilarating.”
“Just to be part of something like that was very special,” he said. “It was really cool. Like, seeing everyone happy, smiling, singing, and to be up there and light the candle — I couldn’t believe it. It was really a very special time, and a very special moment.”
The first night was celebrated with live performances, fresh latkes, and free gifts for little ones, and the food and toys will continue for all eight. Special guests are also slated to attend most nights — Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso on Sunday, Hecht said, and Mayor Eric Adams on Monday.
Seeing the singing, dancing, and gift-giving gave Dweck hope.
“You see social media, you think the world’s coming to an end,” he said. “But when you actually meet people, you realize most people are just good people. You walk in and you say, ‘You know what? This world’s going to be OK.’”
The sheer size of the menorah emphasizes the message of Hanukkah and the celebration, Hecht said.
“When people come together at such a massive menorah, it allows for their Jewish pride to express itself in a manner that is greater than what they’re usually used to,” he said.
As they celebrated light and miracles in Grand Army Plaza, Hecht said the crowd was also praying for the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, more than a year after they were kidnapped.
“We are hoping, and we’re praying that we experience a miracle at this time, for the hostages … that they be released to light, and that they experience a miracle,” he said. “The Hanukkah miracle of light should be with them and their families to be reunited in good health, and that we should have peace in the Middle East and peace around the world.”
Additional reporting by Erica Price
