Community Corner

Hanukkah Parade Makes Way Through Baltimore

Dozens of cars adorned with menorahs attached to their tops made paraded from Yeshivat Rambam through North Baltimore to the Inner Harbor.

At about 5:30 Tuesday evening cars, pickup trucks and minivans began arriving in the parking lot of with menorahs on top of the vehicles.

Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum stood in the dark parking lot and tried to get the cars lined up properly in between meetings with officers from the Baltimore City police escort that would lead the way for the parade.

"It's been getting bigger and bigger every year and now that we have a police escort it just adds to the beauty of the parade, especially trying to bring the light of Hanukkah to all the people," Tenenbaum said. 

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Tenenbaum said the tradition of a menorah car parade started about 30 years ago in Brooklyn, NY. The tradition began here in Baltimore a few years ago and is slowly becoming a regular event to recognize the start of the Festival of Lights.

The Hanukkah holiday is in rememberance of the rededication of the holy temple during the Macabbean Revolt and the miracle of one days' worth of oil for the menorah burning for eight days, according to jewfaq.org.

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Slowly the parking lot filled with vehciles. Most of those participating in the parade kept it simple with a menorah adoring a vehicle's roof, some participants attached loud speakers playing music while Shlomo Simenowitz and Dan Brody, of Park Heights, kicked the fesitvities up a notch by dressing as dreidels.

"Hanukkah is the festival of lights and people like Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a happy, happy holiday and when people see the lights of the menorah it really excites them and lets them participate in the holiday," Tenenbaum said.

At about 6:45 p.m. police motorocylce engines revved, and all of the cars with their menorahs lit followed them out of the parking lot into the Park Heights neighborhood like a thousand points of light heading for the Inner Harbor where a menorah was scheduled to be lit.  


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