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How public menorahs became the most recognisable symbol of Chanukah

JL;DR SUMMARY Public menorah lightings have become a hallmark of Chanukah observance, serving both as a means to celebrate Jewish identity and as a reminder of the festival's historical significance. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish IdentityChabadFirst AmendmentChanukahReligious FreedomPublic MenorahsUk JudaismCommunity CelebrationsVisible Judaism

Places mentioned

Golders Green, Barnet, United Kingdom
"When Sandy Weinbaum set about raising a giant menorah outside Golders Green tube station in the winter of 1984, there was little precedent for such public displays of Jewishness in Britain."
Leeds, United Kingdom
"The first, established by Leeds Chabad Rabbi Reuven Cohen the previous year, had come as something of a surprise for British Jews, and Weinbaum was keen to be a part of a fledgling tradition kickstarted by Chabadniks in the US a little less than a decade before."
San Francisco, California, United States
"The first large-scale public menorah lighting wasnt until 1975 when Chabad director of Northern California Rabbi Chaim Itche Drizin inspired by Rabbi Menachem M Schneerson, who had a year previously established a campaign to promote Chanukah observance proposed the idea of a giant menorah lighting in San Franciscos Union Square."
London, United Kingdom
"Rabbi Mendy lighting the menorah at London's Islington Green, in 2012 Credit: Getty"
Montevideo, Uruguay
"Now you will find public menorahs everywhere, from Montevideo to Toronto, and from Nicosia to Berlin."
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"Now you will find public menorahs everywhere, from Montevideo to Toronto, and from Nicosia to Berlin."
Nicosia, Cyprus
"Now you will find public menorahs everywhere, from Montevideo to Toronto, and from Nicosia to Berlin."
Berlin, Germany
"Now you will find public menorahs everywhere, from Montevideo to Toronto, and from Nicosia to Berlin."

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Retrieved 2024-12-20 05:30:56 UTC
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