Residents celebrate at 12th anniversary of menorah lighting

Warwick — There was heavy rain on the evening of Dec. 25, and the ground at Lewis Park was covered with wet snow. Nevertheless, a respectable crowd of local residents including Mayor Michael Newhard and his son Henry, 5, arrived at the park for the traditional Menorah lighting ceremony that takes place on the first night of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. In 1994, Moshe Schwartzberg, owner of Forever Jewelers and then President of the Warwick Merchants Guild, began officiating at a Menorah lighting in Railroad Green. Since that time Schwartzberg and his wife, Doris and their daughters Sarah and Amy continued to improve the celebration adding music and serving traditional potato latkes, donuts and “geld” candies wrapped in gold tinfoil. They also introduced games for the children including spinning the dreidel. With the exception of those times when the weather was extraordinarily bad, attendance has grown each year. This year’s Menorah lighting was again graced by the presence of Rabbi Meir Borenstein and his wife, Rivkie of the Chabad Center of Orange County. Chabad is an international outreach organization, inspired by the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and dedicated to serving Jewish communities. “We are pleased that Rabbi Borenstein has joined us again,” said Schwartzberg. “And like last year, he brought us kosher latkes.” The Rabbi also handed out small gifts for all those who had braved the bad weather to come to the celebration. Just prior to the lighting of the first candle, Schwartzberg explained the religious significance of the festival. He told the story of how the Temple of Jerusalem was about to be rededicated following its recapture after occupation and defilement by Antiochus IV. The Menorah, which stood in the Holy Sanctuary of the Temple, would have to be lit. “The problem,” he said, “was that there was not enough oil to light the nine lamps of the Menorah for more than a day.” The miracle of the story, he explained, was that in answer to everyone’s prayers, the lamps burned for eight days, a sufficient time, in those days, to replenish the oil. Before lighting the center lamp and first lamp of the eight day festival, Schwartzberg read all the sacred prayers, first in English so that everyone would understand, and then in Hebrew, according to the tradition of the ceremony. “Blessed are you Hashem our God King of the universe,” he read aloud, “who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this season ...” And then Schwartzberg continued, “Baruch ata Adonai . . .” Immediately after the Menorah lighting and the reading of the blessings, Rabbi Borenstein stepped forward and led the group in singing several Hanukkah songs from music sheets he had thoughtfully handed out. Standing under umbrellas in pouring rain, everyone joined in cheerfully singing each song, one of which ended, “Retell the wondrous story of God in all his glory and dance by the candles cheering glow.”