'Light over darkness': Menorah car parade will start in Morristown, end in Livingston
Music will play, people will cheer and drivers will honk their horns as the festive menorah car parade makes its way from Morris County to Livingston on Monday evening.
The participants, mostly from Morris and Essex counties, will gather at the Rabbinical College of America-Lubavitch on Sussex Road in Morristown at about 4:45 p.m. There the menorahs will be affixed to the top of their cars and the parade will start around 5 p.m. said Faygie Holt, public relations director of LifeTown.
The event commemorates the beginning of Hanukkah, the festival of lights, on Sunday night.
About 40 vehicles and some motorcycles participated in last year's event.
The parade will end at LifeTown, on Microlab Road in Livingston. There cars will be greeted by families of children and teens with special needs and "everyone will be joining together for a Grand Menorah Lighting at LifeTown," Holt said.
LifeTown is a 53,000-square-foot, fully inclusive and accessible center that offers myriad opportunities for recreation, education, and therapeutic play aimed at providing a comprehensive slate of programming for individuals with special abilities and their families.
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Before the menorah parade arrives, the families will view a drive-in laser light show, which is open to the public, but requires reservations. Traditional Hanukkah treats, including chocolate coins “gelt,” hot latkes and doughnuts will be served, Holt said.
The parade is part of the worldwide Hanukkah campaign launched in 1973 to highlight and encourage the central theme of the holiday — "publicizing the story of the Hanukkah miracle and the victory of light over darkness, a message of hope greatly needed today," Holt said.
"The menorah serves as a symbol of light and hope for us today amidst the darkness of the pandemic, as it did for generations before us," Holt said. "The flames of the menorah shine out into the night, reminding us that even when confronted with much darkness, a tiny light can dispel it all."
The Jewish Festival of Lights is an eight-day commemoration of the rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians.
Upon recapturing the Temple only one jar of oil was found, enough to burn only one day, but it lasted miraculously for eight, Holt said.
"Today, people of all faiths consider the holiday a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness," he said.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Menorah car parade to start in Morristown, end in Livingston
