Illinois Chanukah Celebration with Pritzker Goes Virtual Thursday

NORTHBROOK, IL — Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Israel Consul General Aviv Ezra and local dignitaries will join this year for a virtual ceremony ushering in the holiday of Chanukah and lighting the first candle of the Menorah with Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois. The event will take place at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Members of Jewish communities across the state — including Lubavitch Chabad of Northbrook —are expected to gather virtually and participate in this celebration, which will be streamed live on IllinoisChanukah.com to enable residents from throughout Illinois to join the celebration from home.

“The lighting of the menorah with our elected officials is a wonderful symbol of the religious diversity that is the hallmark of Illinois and of this great country," said Rabbi Meir Moscowitz, regional director of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois. "We are honored that the Governor and so many local officials have chosen to be part of his celebration."

The ceremony is part of the worldwide Hanukkah campaign launched by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 1973. The campaign highlights and encourages 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, according to organizers In the decades since the Rebbe’s Hanukkah awareness campaign began it has revitalized widespread observance of the Festival of Lights and brought it to the mainstream, returning what some have mistakenly dismissed as a minor holiday to its roots as a public proclamation of the ultimate triumph of freedom over oppression.

This year has seen illness, death, quarantine, closures and business collapses, all amidst an overwhelming sense of sheer confusion and despair, according to organizers. In light of this heightened sense of urgency to share the message, spirit and hope of Hanukkah, the Chabad movement worldwide is preparing the largest Hanukkah awareness campaign in history.

Throughout the state of Illinois, Chabad will be organizing scores of giant menorah displays To find a local event in Illinois, or practically anywhere throughout the world, visit the international Hanukkah event directory at www.ChabadIllinois.com/HanukkahEvents.