Menorah lighting, Chanukah Village come to Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK — Chanukah begins on the evening of Dec. 14 and goes until Dec. 22. To help families celebrate the occasion, the Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center is hosting its annual Menorah Lighting and Chanukah Village Walk on Dec. 18.

The menorah lighting and walk will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Eagle Plaza, 163 Sixth St. in Royal Oak. 

The event is going to be generally the same this year as in the past, according to Rabbi Moishie Glitsenstein. 

“A new thing that we will have is a giant Judah Maccabee, which is kind of a giant person that you can take photos with, so that’s going to be a new fun thing for the kids and families,” he said. “The Maccabees are basically the people that will fight to bring the celebration of Chanukah, the victory of Chanukah.”

The event will start at 4 p.m. with the downtown Chanukah Village. Participants can pick up their village map at the Eagle Plaza and stroll through downtown Royal Oak finding activities, treats and giveaways at each stop. 

At 5 p.m., Glitsenstein will be lighting the ice menorah back at the Eagle Plaza, where there will be doughnuts and hot cocoa, fresh latkes, a fire show, the grand gelt drop, the Chanukah train, and the giant Judah Maccabee, according  to jewishroyaloak.com. 

“There aren’t a lot of (Jewish) events that are so open to the public. It’s open, and downtown, it’s free, and everybody can come,” Glitsenstein said. “It’s very welcoming. You don’t have to be a certain way, there are people that are not Jewish that come, the event is for all different people that just want to explore a different culture.”

Glitsenstein said that the goal of the Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center is to always provide a safe space for people to enjoy Jewish culture, no matter if they are Jewish  themselves or not.

“You don’t have to be a member anywhere; you can just park your car and be a part of it,” he said. “So, I think that’s kind of a unique thing about this event, because a lot of events, you have to pay or you have to come only in a certain place or certain time, or whatever it is. But here it’s kind of welcoming, and it gives an opportunity for the community to meet the Jewish culture.” 

The idea of Chanukah is to light up the world and spread light, according to Glitsenstein. 

“It’s a very powerful message, especially today, when people have a lot of issues or there are a lot of times of depression, and with Chanukah we can light up the world and start to do some good, and by doing good you can actually change the world and also empower yourself,” he said. 

For more information on the Chanukah festivities and the Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center, visit jewishroyaloak.com.