A group of young professionals in Manhattan is taking Chanukah to the next level this year. They gathered ahead of the holiday for an evening of inspiration and pre-Chanukah celebration, and left with bags of menorah kits to distribute as part of the “Ambassadors of Light” program, run by the Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side. Each kit contains a menorah, candles, dreidel and instructions with the blessings on the back.
Some 45 people signed up to hand out hundreds of menorahs to family, friends, Facebook friends, neighbors and work colleagues ahead of and during the holiday, with some taking them far and wide on national and international travels. Participants took to social media to let their networks know they had menorahs at the ready, with hundreds slated for delivery in New Jersey, New York, Georgia, Colorado and even Chile.
“Some people you ask might not go to the store to find a menorah,” Devora Wilhelm, who co-directs the Chabad center with Rabbi Yosef Wilhelm, told the crowd. “So you are really giving them an opportunity to do the mitzvah—lighting the Chanukah candles every night.”
The eight-day holiday started on the night of Dec. 24 and lasts through Jan. 1.
Ethan Stein, 24, hosted the community-building event with his family at their Upper East Side apartment. “Not only are we enabling people to provide their friends, neighbors and colleagues with menorahs to light on the holiday,” says Stein, who works in software, “we are giving them the platform to have an open conversation about Judaism when discussing religion can often be seen as a barrier or taboo.”
Upper West Side resident Dina Moroz, 23, who works as an assistant buyer at a department store, says she’s glad to spend time sharing Chanukah, especially in a season where it’s not necessarily mainstream America’s focus. “It’s easy for Chanukah to get lost if you don’t take initiative to remember it or even to talk about it,” she says.
Giving away menorahs also makes her own foundation stronger, adds Moroz, who was heading out with more than a dozen menorahs. “I think it’s just reiterating what Chanukah’s about for myself by telling other people about it. Maybe someone knows something about Chanukah that I don’t.”
The Wilhelms, who started the CYP (Chabad Young Professionals) division on the Upper East Side about seven years ago, focus on individual Jewish journeys, says Rabbi Yosef Wilhelm. Among their programs are Shabbat and holiday events; Holy Hour Happy Hour, which starts with services followed by Kiddush and a happy hour; retreats; weekly classes; one-on-one learning; lunch-and-learns; and volunteer programs to serve people with special needs through the Friendship Circle.
Having young professionals who reach out to their broader networks—as they did by not only handing out menorahs, but also posting to social media about them—spreads Jewish engagement further, he affirms. “I want the young Jews of our community to feel that they are empowered to be Jewish leaders. It doesn’t just mean they care about Israel or speak out, it means they themselves can share Judaism with another person. It’s not only in the hands of rabbis.”
‘Connect With Your Peers’
Sarah Sichel, who works in social media for a sports league, brought a handful of friends to the Ambassadors event with her to help share the light. “The people I invited might have the opportunity to give menorahs to people who don’t have them,” says the 24-year-old, who lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “And I know people who might need them.”
Alex Abel, 26, made attending the Ambassadors event a priority and posted about the menorahs on Facebook. She was aiming to leave with about a dozen. “My mom told me she needed one, so I’m giving her one,” she says. Abel, who works in publishing, was also planning to leave a few menorahs out in the communal office space at work.
The event provided a chance to share the holiday with the community she’s glad to be a part of, says Abel, who has lived on the Upper East Side for the past three years: “Every time you have an opportunity to connect with your peers, it’s nice, inspiring and creates warmth.”
Danielle and Ariel Sterman picked up some menorahs ahead of time before heading off to Argentina for their honeymoon. “Thanks to our friend Ethan, we were able to bring light to the mountains of Patagonia, giving menorahs to Israeli backpackers who simply didn’t have any; Jewish sisters who didn’t know Chanukah was coming; and a Jew from San Diego lighting for his first time,” reports Danielle Sterman.
Upper East Side resident Jessie Cytryn, 38, has watched the menorah-distribution program grow. In past years, CYP members have given out menorahs to people already within the community. This year, they’re expanding into their own networks, he says.
“It’s nice to spread the light and show people you’re thinking of them,” says Cytryn. “It’s also a chance on a peer-to-peer level to promote dialogue within families around the holiday and Judaism. In two months, you never know what stories you’re going to hear that came from just a spark.”
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