One of our community leaders called me last year: “Hey Rob, I’m out in Detroit and they have this neat program called ‘Menorah in the D’. Can we pull this off at home?”

Menorah in the D is a huge community-wide Chanukah program co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation and Chabad. I called Rabbi Zalman of Bethlehem Chabad who sits on Federation’s board and asked his opinion. “Let’s do it,” he said.

So, we are now two weeks away from our very own Chanukah on Jay, possibly the largest Chanukah celebration ever undertaken in Northeastern New York!

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We have 26 Jewish organizations participating. We have live music, hot food, crafts, games, and a master illusionist. We have a menorah contest and an essay contest for kids and a theme of shining the light on darkness.

We have a grand menorah lighting in front of Schenectady’s City Hall.

We have free and accessible parking!

We are working with city and county officials and the Jay Street Business Association. Franklin and Jay streets are closed to traffic throughout. The event is posted on Proctor’s marquee.

Sunday afternoon December 5 from 2:00–4:00. Bring the whole family. There is plenty of parking (worth mentioning twice).

While fully anticipating fantastic weather, we will have tents, so the event will happen rain, shine or snow.

Registration is not required but helpful for our planning. When registering, check the box if you are also interested in volunteering. The event is free and open to the public, but if you would like to make a contribution, you may do so on the Chanukah website, which will be processed by Chabad or on Federation’s website. Note: the funds will be pooled to help offset expenses. It does not matter which site you use.

Did I mention that there is parking?

I’m off next Friday for the long holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy start to Chanukah. We’ll talk on the flip side.