Amid the bitter chilly on Tuesday night, 100 or so neighbors — lots of them clutching tiny cups of sizzling chocolate, holding canine on leashes, or chasing after babies — gathered in Harlem’s tiny Montefiore Park to look at the neighborhood’s annual Christmas tree lighting.
However this 12 months, the blue spruce — a landmark on the north finish of the triangular park that’s been illuminated for Christmas yearly since 1992 — wasn’t the one vacation ornament within the park. For the primary time, the Christmas tree lighting was accompanied by the kindling of a big electrical menorah, in honor of the third night time of Hanukkah.
“We’ve lived within the neighborhood for a very long time, and we stroll by that park each single day,” stated Erica Frankel, who together with her husband Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut is the co-founder of neighborhood Jewish neighborhood group Tzibur Harlem, which co-sponsored the lighting. “And we’ve been dreaming that one 12 months there would even be a giant public show for Hanukkah within the park alongside the tree.”
Dimitry Ekshtut leads the blessings for the menorah lighting. (Jackie Hajdenberg)
The occasion arose following an inquiry by the couple to the Montefiore Park Civic Affiliation, asking if they might set up a big menorah within the park. As a substitute of a easy “sure,” a broad coalition of civic, Jewish, Black, Dominican and interfaith organizations got here collectively to create the primary “Harlem Competition of Lights,” a cross-denominational celebration of each Christmas and Hanukkah. (A Kwanzaa celebration was initially on the lineup, too, however the lighting of the kinara, the seven-branched candelabra that’s a part of the fashionable pan-African vacation, was finally rescheduled to coincide with the seven-day celebration that begins on Dec. 26.)
In a 12 months marked by antisemitism, each near residence and afar — most lately on Bondi Seaside in Sydney, the place 15 individuals have been killed at a public Hanukkah menorah lighting occasion — the cross-cultural show of vacation cheer felt particularly significant to most of the individuals.
As an indication of the occasions, nevertheless, there was a pronounced police presence within the space.
“What we’re doing tonight, in lighting a menorah publicly within the metropolis of New York, in Harlem, with our mates, with our neighborhood members, with our elected politicians, with our cops right here, with all of you right here, is nothing brief than a reclamation of identification, a reclamation of ancestry and a public announcement that we’re right here,” Ekshtut stated throughout his remarks.
“It has not been a simple Hanukkah,” he added. “Hanukkah is about sharing and spreading gentle. And we began Hanukkah with darkness. And the reply to darkness is just not concern, is just not hiding, is just not operating away. The reply to darkness, my mates, is extra gentle.”
Audio system on the interfaith occasion included Metropolis Councilmember Shaun Abreu; Basia Nikonorow and Michael Palma from the Montefiore Park Neighborhood Affiliation; and Victor Edwards from Neighborhood Board 9, which represents the realm.
“This is a vital time of the 12 months the place we understand that greater than ourselves, we’ve one another,” stated Abreu, the primary Latino to signify Manhattan’s seventh District, whose mom works as a bookkeeper at Zabar’s. “And at the moment is an ideal instance of that unity. And let’s convey that unity, that unified spirit, into the brand new 12 months.”
“This can be a neighborhood of inclusiveness, and we’re right here collectively to have a good time,” Edwards stated throughout his temporary feedback. “[With] every part that’s occurring on this planet, there’s no extra [better] time to be shut collectively and help one another.”
The pageant’s location is tied to Harlem’s wealthy Jewish historical past: The pocket park is known as for Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, a Sephardic Jewish financier and philanthropist who funded a sanatorium that opened at West 138th Road and Broadway in 1888. On the time, the neighborhood was an more and more engaging vacation spot for Jews shifting from extra crowded areas additional south in Manhattan. By 1917, Harlem had greater than 175,000 Jewish residents, making it the third-largest Jewish neighborhood on this planet, behind Warsaw and the Decrease East Aspect.
The neighborhood’s Jewish inhabitants largely emptied out throughout the twentieth century, as Harlem grew to become an epicenter of African American life and likewise drew sizable Puerto Rican and Dominican populations. However the native Jewish neighborhood is rising and the neighborhood is now residence to some 20,000 Jews who’re barely youthful on common than Jews in Manhattan general, in line with a 2023 UJA-Federation research. A Jewish neighborhood middle and a spread of congregations serve the inhabitants.
Because it occurs, the Montefiore Park Neighborhood Affiliation had needed to host a menorah lighting for a number of years, in line with Palma, however on account of COVID, park development, and organizational turnover with their Jewish institutional connections, one thing all the time got here up.
“This 12 months, we have been decided to do every part on time,” Palma stated.
Veronica Savage, co-chair of the Landmarks Preservation and Parks Committee for Neighborhood Board 9, stated she got here to point out help “simply type of creating this neighborhood second.”
An Higher West Sider named Justin, who supplied solely his first identify, alongside together with his girlfriend and pal, all commonly attend Tzibur Harlem for Shabbat and different Jewish programming. The trio huddled collectively for heat.
“They stated they have been going to have a large menorah and I used to be like, ‘I’ve obtained to be there,’ so I’m right here,” Justin stated.
“I consider that it’s much more necessary to point out up now that individuals attempt to intimidate Jews and make us go conceal,” stated Paul, an Higher West Sider who declined to share his final identify. “I’m a Jewish immigrant from Poland, the place a few of the worst sort of intimidation came about. So I’m further cussed and attentive to the place individuals attempt to push us round like that. So I confirmed up and we lead with positivity. We lead with good effort.”
After some 20 minutes of speeches, the second for turning on the vacation lights arrived finally. Frankel introduced her two younger daughters to the entrance of the gang to activate the electrical menorah as Ekshtut led the blessings. Moments later, the kids within the crowd have been invited to depend down from 10 to the lighting of the Christmas tree.
The Hanukkah menorah and Christmas tree are facet by facet at Montefiore Park. (Jackie Hajdenberg)
At first, the tree didn’t gentle up. After which — 5 very lengthy seconds later — it did.
“It wouldn’t be a Harlem tree lighting with out a delay,” a voice within the crowd quipped.
Following the lighting, company have been invited to an indoor continuation of the celebration. The group adopted Palma for a number of blocks, after which by a labyrinth of an condo advanced basement to a neighborhood room the place a buffet of Latin soul meals and kosher sufganiyot and latkes had been arrange.
The pageant of lights continued indoors. (Jackie Hajdenberg)
As soon as the shivering group was inside, Frankel stated the blessings and lit an oil menorah — this time, with matches.
