Rabbi Kopel Silberberg at last year’s menorah lighting ceremony.
By: Jen Russon
Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights, kicks off worldwide on Sunday, December 22 and will be celebrated with a menorah lighting and evening of chocolate in Tamarac.
Rabbi Kopel Silberberg and his wife Goldy, who began the Chabad Jewish Center of Tamarac in 2018, are inviting the community to their public menorah lighting & gelt drop.
Rabbi Silberberg said this year’s menorah lighting was influenced by the December 10, mass shooting at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“The only way to combat this hate and darkness is by adding in light and goodness, which is the message of Chanukah and the menorah. We invite everyone to come and add light in their lives and their surroundings,” said Rabbi Silberberg.
The event will include hot latkes, dreidels, and a “chocolate gelt drop.” Tamarac Fire Rescue will use their fire truck ladder for this job — and pour thousands of chocolate coins 25 feet down to children who will try to catch the most.
He added there would be food trucks, hot donuts, raffles, and side tents with arts, crafts, games, and other activities intended for younger attendants, but that the real star of the show is the menorah lighting.
Over 2,000 years ago, Jewish people began lighting menorahs to celebrate the miracle of Chanukah. The holiday marks the miraculous victory of Jewish freedom fighters who ousted Syrian Greeks from the Holy Land and overcame an oppressive regime of pagans who had restricted their religious freedoms.
Held around the world, menorah lightings are genuinely open to the public, and this one in Tamarac is no different said, Rabbi Silberberg.
The event takes place on December 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Tamarac Sports Complex, located on 9901 NW 77th Street. RSVPs are appreciated at 954-882-7434.