Torches kindled at Modi’in, Israel gravesite of the Maccabees, will be flown to New York on the first day of Chanukah, and will be carried by relay runners of the Maccabee sports organization and Zionist youth groups from Kennedy Airport to synagogues in mid-Manhattan, a distance of 18 miles, it was announced here today. The torch relay will be the first in the United States to duplicate an Israeli tradition, in which young sportsmen run torches from Modi’in to all points of the country on Chanukah.
One of the torches, to arrive at Kennedy Airport on Wednesday, will be run to the Fifth Avenue Synagogue. Another will be carried by teenage members of Masada, the American Zionist youth organization to the Garment Center Synagogue, where it will be handed to Mayor John V. Lindsay of New York. The Mayor will attend Chanukah ceremonies outside the synagogue.
In Israel, torches will be carried by Maccabee sportsmen to the home of President Shazar in Jerusalem; to Elat, on the Gulf of Akaba; and to outposts in Upper Galilee. Some 4,000 youths will participate in the relays in Israel.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
