Long Island Lights Up

Menorahs, latkes and dreidels — the staples of Chanukah — were in abundance this week as the Festival of Lights was celebrated in homes, synagogues and public spaces.
Preschoolers at the Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills (at right, top) prepared for the holiday by making menorahs and a giant dreidel. And the JCC called upon the Roslyn Highlands Fire Department for help in lighting its 18-foot menorah, which sits on the JCC’s front lawn at 300 Forest Drive and is said to be the largest freestanding menorah on the Island.
Meanwhile, teams from Temple Beth Elohim in Old Bethpage (Doris Rosenfeld, far right, and Susan Naftol, next to her) and the Dix Hills Jewish Center (Gail Jospa, second from left, and David Weiss, next to her) squared off at Stop & Shop in Woodbury to see who made the best latkes. Andrea Astrachan, the supermarket’s consumer adviser, issued a Solomonic decision and declared Temple Beth Elohim the Nassau winner and Dix Hills the Suffolk winner.
The Dix Hills Jewish Center also illuminated what it boasts is Long Island’s largest menorah — a string of lights strung along the side of its building in the shape of a menorah.
The New York Board of Rabbis issued a series of holiday safety tips, including a caution to keep lit menorahs away from curtains or other flammable objects and out of the reach of small children. In addition, it advised keeping small children away from the hot oil when making latkes and to turn frying pan handles away from the edge of the stove.