Some kids sat atop cars through sunroofs, another danced to Hanukkah music and several drivers honked their horns.
They were among the hundreds Thursday night celebrating on the second night of Hanukkah at the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago parking lot in West Ridge. Around 100 cars, each with a LED menorah affixed to its roof, lined up for the Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois’ annual Hanukkah community parade.
It was Avi Scharmon’s first time participating in the parade. Since Scharmon, 35, drives a big electric Hummer truck, he felt he needed to match it with a giant wooden menorah constructed with four-by-fours and two-by-fours and LED lights.
“Usually we don’t do the big lights,” Scharmon said, adding that his family traditionally lights small candles in their West Rogers Park home.
“It’s not about the size of the light, because a little light will shine in a lot of darkness,” he said. “So, we’re here to celebrate the light, to celebrate positivity and all the things we believe in.”
The caravan paraded through the West Rogers Park and Peterson Park neighborhoods, into Lincolnwood and culminated with a celebration at Sky High Sports in Niles.
Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is an eight-day commemoration of the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians. The small amount of oil left in the temple burned for eight days and was considered a miracle.
The purpose of the annual parade, which marks the 50th anniversary of the first public menorah lighting in the U.S. this year, is to share the Jewish message publicly.
“Traditionally, we put [menorahs] by a window, put it by a doorway to try to bring the message outside publicly, so we basically step it up a notch and bring it out to the public,” said Rabbi Yosef Moscowitz, executive director of Lubavitch Shabad of Illinois.
Moscowitz likened Thursday’s parade to a “launch party” for participants to continue their own “mini operation” to spread the celebration, as many tend to keep the menorah on their cars through the rest of Hanukkah.
“Wherever they’re driving, they’re spreading light,” Moscowitz said.
This year has been another emotional Hanukkah for Jews as antisemitism has been on the rise since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.
“This year, unlike other years, all Jews are coming together just to kind of unite in times where we are prosecuted for being Jewish,” Scharmon said. “So, we feel the need to show solidarity and to kind of shine the light.”
