Menorah in the D Celebrates 10Th Anniversary at Campus Martius with Virtual Hanukkah Event

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Menorah in the D celebrates 10th anniversary at Campus Martius with virtual Hanukkah event

DETROIT FREE PRESS | 3 MONTHS AGO | 2 MINUTES, 41 SECONDS READ

Detroit's 10th annual Menorah in the D, a community Hanukkah celebration at Campus Martius, will go virtual this year. As the Jewish holiday begins at sundown Thursday, families and community members are encouraged to join the festivities on Zoom and light their menorahs as the 26-foot Detroit menorah is lit.

The event typically draws thousands, but this year, as a result of COVID-19 safety protocols, Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, vice president of Chabad-Lubavitch, will lead an invite-only ceremony at Campus Martius. Guests will include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield. Presenting sponsors the Shul, Chabad Greater Downtown Detroit and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit will be represented by a small number of people.

At 5 p.m., guests can join a Zoom link on MenorahInTheD.com for greetings from community leaders and dignitaries, a 10-year recap and the torch ceremony. That will be followed by a 6 p.m. Zoom afterparty during which families watching from any location will be welcome to share their greetings.

"The interaction is going to be cool because we'll actually be cutting into people's homes (on Zoom) to show them watching the event with their families," said co-host and ambassador Bruce Schwartz. "It's very different from actually being at the ceremony itself, but it's a change we're embracing."

"Our tradition," said Shemtov, "is lighting the candles at a window where they can be seen from the outside, which represents not only the light and warmth that bring warmth to our homes but also the light that guides us in the darkness. This is the message of Hanukkah. In a public lighting, we take this to another step: We bring that light and warmth and peace to the entire community."

The Detroit menorah, an original steel and glass creation by artists Erik and Israel Nordin of the Detroit Design Center, was installed Dec. 2 at Campus Martius and will remain in place through the end of Hanukkah on the evening of Dec. 18.

People planning to attend virtually can register on the Menorah in the D website to get a free lamplighter kit with candles, postcards, gelt (chocolate candy shaped like coins), an event guide, a limited-edition Menorah in the D lighter, cookies and more. Menorahs are available, as well. Visitors can select one of five locations around the region to pick up a kit through Thursday.

Shemtov believes that the event will include a stream-at-home option even after the threat of the coronavirus has passed.

"Some people said, 'This year, let's pass without the celebration, or at least pull back on it,' " he said. "Before, we'd have 4,000 or 5,000 people. Instead of backtracking, we're doing a program that can now reach tens of thousands. We are not deterred by the challenge. We overcome it, and we do even better.

"My feeling," he said, "is that we never go back. Always forward. So whatever we do this year, we'll do even better next year."

For a list of other socially distanced and public menorah lightings, visit MenorahInTheD.com.

Coming to the Motor City from Dayton, Ohio, Duante Beddingfield is the new arts and culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. He can be reached at [email protected].

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INFORMATION BOX

OhioOhio is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.7 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. [Wikipedia]

ShulamiteA Shulamite is a person from Shulem. It is the ascription given to the female protagonist in the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible. In the King James Version and other Bibles, it is the Song of Solomon or Canticle of Canticles. [Wikipedia]

Wayne CountyWayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2019, the United States Census estimated its population as 1,749,343 making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. [Wikipedia] Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport, or just DTW, is a major international airport in the United States covering 4,850 acres in Romulus, Michigan. [Wikipedia]

Campus Martius Campus Martius was a defensive fortification at the Marietta, Ohio settlement, and was home to Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Tupper, Arthur St. Clair, and other pioneers from the Ohio Company of Associates during the Northwest Indian War. Major Anselm Tupper was commander of the Campus Martius during the war. Construction began in 1788 and was fully completed in 1791. [Wikipedia]

Joel H. CohenJoel H. Cohen is a Canadian writer for Saturday Night Live, Suddenly Susan and The Simpsons. He is the younger brother of one-time Simpsons writer Robert Cohen, who penned the season three episode "Flaming Moe's". [Wikipedia]

Levi ShemtovLevi Shemtov is the Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch in Washington D.C, Founder and President of the Capitol Jewish Forum, a group providing outreach to "Jewish men and women working on Capitol Hill and in the government arena" and serves on the board of the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington . [Wikipedia]

OurThe Our is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. It is a left-hand tributary of the river Sauer/Sûre. Its total length is 78 kilometres. The source of the Our is in the High Fens in southeastern Belgium, near Manderfeld. [Wikipedia]

ErikErik Nascimento Lima, simply known as Erik, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos, on loan from Palmeiras, as a forward. [Wikipedia]