As part of World’s Largest Chanukah Observance on Dec. 5, and to celebrate the Chanukah season, Chabad of Greater Hilton Head will host its third annual Grand Car Menorah Parade and Chanukah Celebration.
The parade will depart from Tanger Outlets 2 in Bluffton and travel to Shelter Cove Towne Center.
The parade route will travel via the main thoroughfares of Bluffton and Hilton Head in a unique Chanukah celebration promoting holiday awareness. The parade will end at Shelter Cove Towne Center for a grand celebration at 5 p.m., including the lighting of a 9-foot tall Chanukah menorah.
The event is one of 15,000 similar public menorah lightings worldwide to be held Dec. 5, the last night of Chanukah. The purpose is symbolize a universal message of religious freedom.
The ceremony, organized by Chabad Rabbi Mendel Hertz, will be followed by a celebration with live music, singing, entertainment and traditional Chanukah foods. This event is open to the public.
“The menorah serves as a symbol of Hilton Head’s dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship God freely, openly, and with pride,” said Rabbi Hertz. “This is true especially in America, a nation that was founded upon and vigorously protects the right of every person to practice his or her religion free from restraint and persecution.”
The worldwide Chanukah campaign is an initiative launched by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, in 1973. The campaign highlights and encourages the central theme of the holiday – publicizing the story of the Chanukah miracle.
“The message of Chanukah is the message of light,” said Rabbi Hertz. “The nature of light is that it is always victorious over darkness. A small amount of light dispels a lot of darkness and hastens the coming of Moshiach. Another act of goodness and kindness, another act of light, can make all the difference.”
Today, the unprecedented public display of Chanukah has become a staple of Jewish cultural and religious life, forever altering the American practice and awareness of the festival.
For more information, including how to participate in the Menorah Parade, contact Rabbi Mendel Hertz at rabbi@jewishhiltonhead.org or visit jewishhiltonhead.org.
