This Hanukkah celebration is all about the oil.
A squad of 10 drivers cruised through Bay Ridge with menorahs strapped to their cars’ hoods as part of the Chabad of Bay Ridge’s annual observance for the holiday, which commemorates the biblical miracle in which a candelabru, burned for eight days on one day’s oil. The annual parade is a symbolic gesture of illuminating the neighborhood with spiritual light, and it really worked, said one participant.
“It truly was lighting up Bay Ridge,” said Borough Parker Shloime Zellermaier, who came out to watch with his wife and five kids. “I thought it was beautiful, because the point of Hanukkah is to bring more light into the world, and by driving through the neighborhood, more people see it and it brings more light into their lives.”
The holly rollers began their schlep at 65th Street and Seventh Avenue and snaked up to the triangle park on 95th Street and Fifth Avenue for a colossal candelabra lighting. A trio of community leaders including Rabbi Tzvi Stroh, state Sen, Martin Golden (R–Bay Ridge), and Council hopeful Justin Brannan fired up a 9-foot-tall oil-burning menorah.
The event brought good vibes to the community, said Rabbi Stroh.
“When we see darkness in the world, the proper response is to kindle another light,” said Rabbi Stroh. “And that’s the idea behind the parade. We’re never satisfied with the light we’re bringing into the world. We have to keep going and share it with all we can.”
