New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined for the lighting of the giant menorah at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan on Wednesday, the eighth and last night of Chanukah. “This is more than a ceremonial event that takes place in this stage of our history,” Adams said in front of the menorah. “It is a reminder that darkness can never overcome light.”
This year marks a half-century since Chabad-Lubavitch erected the first public menorah, on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, as part of the Chanukah awareness campaign set in motion by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. Chabad put up New York City’s first giant public menorah at the corner of Fifth and 59th in 1977, and among the New York dignitaries to light it were Mayor Abe Beame and Sen. Jacob Javits.
“As we reflect on… the Grand Rebbe, who started this 50 years ago, he understood how important it was to spread hope and love throughout the entire globe,” Adams said. “So today as we light our menorah, we understand how important this is to spread our light.”
This is not the first time Adams has attended the lighting outside the iconic Plaza Hotel, last joining the celebration as mayor-elect in 2021. The menorah-lighting at Fifth Avenue was for decades led by the inimitable Rabbi Shmuel Butman, who passed away earlier this year, and the mayor paid tribute to Butman and the legacy of the menorah.
The current menorah at Fifth Avenue, designed by the artist Yaacov Agam, dates back to Chanukah of 1986. The 32-foot-high bronze sculpted menorah is supported by a 28-foot-wide casing, with its shamash-helper candle topping out at 36 feet, making it the largest in the world.
Speaking to the crowd, Adams highlighted the importance of positive action to dispel the darkness in the world. “I am a modern-day Macabee. I believe that we should fight for what is right, we should stand up for what is right… We must make sure that we never surrender to hate, never surrender to violence.”
“The symbol of light is universal for all people on earth, Jews and non-Jews,” the Rebbe wrote to the late President Jimmy Carter in 1980, shortly after the president inaugurated the National Menorah outside of the White House. “The intrinsic power of light, in that even a small light dispels a lot of darkness, is surely a source of inspiration to all men of good will with its eternal message of the eventual triumph of all that is good and bright in human life.”
Adams in his remarks noted his regular visits to the Ohel, the Rebbe's resting place in Queens. “Many people know I visit the Grand Rebbe’s gravesite often throughout my entire life, because what is right is what is right. [The Rebbe’s] present in his spirit. We feel his spirit among us every day in a number of places and Chabad Houses across the world. From South America to Africa, where I visited a few years ago … .…”
Adams, who last year spoke publicly about the importance of bringing moral and ethical education back into public schools, later told reporters that joining in the menorah lighting ceremony is more than just a symbolic gesture for him. “There are moments in life where… we must be true, we must be real… ,” he said. “G‑d is still in charge, G‑d has guided this country for so many years and we should just keep our faith in G‑d… We just have to turn on our GPS, while G‑d positions the satellite … .”
Start a Discussion