The goal of the ‘Ambassadors of Light’ effort is to distribute menorahs and make new connections
Chanukah was just around the corner, and Yudi Hercenberg was out delivering menorahs. The Manhattan resident is passionate about helping make sure as many people as possible can participate in the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles for the holiday, which begins on Sunday, Dec. 22 and continues through Monday, Dec. 30.
Hercenberg, who moved to New York City from Washington, D.C., well over a decade ago, was one of numerous members of Chabad Young Professionals (CYP) groups around the world that handed out menorahs this month. “It’s a good holiday to get people looped in,” he says of the eight-day celebration, which marks the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE. Hercenberg adds that though he’s very busy at his job (he works in finance), he considers it important to make time to make such deliveries.
Sharing menorahs with friends and family sends a message not just about the holiday, but about Jewish pride, says Rabbi Yosef Wilhelm, co-director of Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side with his wife, Devora. Their Chabad center runs an “Ambassadors of Light” program, which encourages young leaders to make sure that “every Jew in our sphere of influence has a menorah to celebrate Chanukah.”
The program, which has been active for several years, has taken off in a number of communities, with lay leaders this year for the first time giving out menorahs in boxes specifically branded with the “Ambassadors of Light” message. They’re also giving out menorahs in larger numbers than ever, with the expectation they’ll distribute some 1,500 this year in the YJP UES group alone, says Wilhelm. “When someone gets up on social media, whatever public platform they’re using, and says, ‘I have a menorah for you,’ it’s not only about the menorah, they’re sending a strong message of Jewish pride,” he states.
Such messages of love in the face of hate and resilience in the face of adversity are especially important given recent anti-Semitic incidents far away and close to home, he adds. “I’d say that’s very much the theme of Chanukah, and it just shines a little bit more this year, which is the idea that a little light dispels darkness.”
Ambassadors in Argentina
Alan Sussi, who is involved with CYP in Argentina, posted to his social networks that he was giving out menorahs last year and got a big surprise—his uncle asked for one.
“So for me, that was amazing,” he says. He gave out 15 to 20 menorahs, many to people who reached out to him online that he doesn’t speak with on a regular basis. “I think it’s great helping others to do such little things that in the end become something way bigger,” he says.
Ahead of Chanukah this year, the YJP group had already distributed more than 450 menorahs.
Young professionals from his Chabad will host Chanukah events in their homes and invite friends to enjoy doughnuts, Chanukah music, dreidels and more. More than 15 parties are planned, with emissaries slated to stop by to share a few words of Torah around the candle-lighting.
“What excites me most is that the whole thing is run by young professionals,” says Rabbi Zalmi Levy, who co-directs the Chabad’s “El Lazo” youth center. “They invite friends that otherwise wouldn’t participate in a Chanukah event or light the candles.”
Some 500 young professionals will also take part in a larger Chanukah party on Dec. 28.
“Light gathers,” says Levy. “That’s the power of Chanukah. Young professionals feel more a part of the community when they get involved, and Chanukah is the perfect time for that.”
New Meaning to the Holiday in Raleigh, N.C.
Rabbi Zalmy Dubinsky, co-director of Chabad Young Professionals Raleigh, hosted a pre-Chanukah event on Dec. 19 in the fast-growing city. He and his wife, co-director Mushka Dubinsky, opened their doors in October 2018 and drew a group of 60 to their very first Chanukah celebration.
This year, they had 115 people at the party, which was themed around the popular Danish coziness concept of hygge. “The events and group are a great way for young Jewish professionals—who essentially when they come here they don’t have any community; they don’t know anyone—to get to know people,” he says.
In addition to handing out menorahs, participants in the “Ambassadors of Light” program at his Chabad also gave out coupon codes for Thursday’s event that entitled users to 50 percent off. “You’re taking ambassadors to the next level—not only in terms of the menorah, but also having them help segue people into being more involved in Jewish life and into the Jewish community.”
Rebecca Cook, a YJP participant in Raleigh who designs and builds artificial limbs and braces, says she’s glad to see the group expanding. “They’ve created a home for all of us,” she says of the YJP contingent in the state capital. “The community has grown exponentially. I’ve met some of my closest friends through [YJP], and I’m looking forward to spending the holidays with them.”
The Chanukah party featured latkes and sported a doughnut wall with treats for the taking, which she said she was glad to have a hand in building. Growing up in New York, she said that Jewish culture, options and events were a given, but outside of that, it’s more about seeking out the community. “I went to high school in Charlotte, and out of 600 kids in my grade, two of them were Jewish,” she says.
These days, she has the Dubinskys to answer any questions she might have, and the Chabad group’s events as a Jewish destination. “They’re really fabulous; they have stepped up and been there, not only as leaders but as friends,” she says of the couple. “When I go there, I feel like I’m welcome. I don’t have to think about what I’m going to wear, what I’m going to do. I know I’m welcome how I am, the way that I am, always.”
Back in New York, three YJP groups are joining together for a public menorah-lighting in Madison Square Park, and then an after-party at a club that is expected to draw some 500 guests.
For Hercenberg, who’s delivering menorahs for his fourth year in a row, the holiday is also a chance to foster new connections. “I want to get people involved,” he says, adding that someone not only accepted a menorah he offered, but also an invitation to attend Shabbat dinner in the year ahead.
She took the menorah as a reminder to get more in touch with her faith, he says. “And that’s awesome; that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.”
