A Chanukah menorah, 30 feet high by 24 feet wide, was lit last night in Manhattan’s Grand Army Plaza at 59th St. and Fifth Ave., one of the city’s busiest cross-roads. Several thousand people were present to watch the lighting ceremony. The Lubavitch Youth Organization, sponsor of the menorah, said it was the largest ever built. A Lubavitcher representative was hoisted by a cherrypicker crane to light the one-foot high candle which is enclosed in glass to enable it to burn through the night.
Rabbi Shmuel Butman, director of the youth group, said the purpose of the project was to give the people of New York “the opportunity to enjoy the flavor and spirit of the Festival of Lights.” The menorah will be lit every night during Chanukah with an additional candle being added each night until all eight candles are lit.
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
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.
