LEGO Menorah Lighting Sunday In Alameda

ALAMEDA, CA — The Chabad of Alameda has invited the entire island to attend a free community Chanukah celebration this Sunday.

The centerpiece of the event will be the lighting of a seven-foot-tall LEGO menorah, back for a second year after being wildly popular last year.

The festivities in Washington Park will focus on family friendly holiday activities including a fire show, bounce house, glow fun, music, balloons, crafts, latkes, chocolates, and donuts.

"This year’s celebration will be larger and grander than last year, and the menorah’s flames will shine bright as a beacon of hope, Jewish pride and as a message of the ultimate triumph of light over darkness," said rabbi Meir Shmotkin, director of Chabad of Alameda. "The message of this menorah is that despite everything going on in our world, the Jewish people stand tall, proud and confident."

2024 marks 50 years since the first public menorah was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Alameda’s LEGO menorah is one of over 15,000 large public menorahs throughout the world, including in front of the White House, at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, at the St. Louis Arch, the Great Wall of China, and Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

"Celebrating Hanukkah is a potent point of light, Jewish pride and confidence for American Jews at this fraught time," added Rabbi Shmotkin. "The celebration of the holiday and the miracle of Hanukkah represents the liberty we all have to celebrate our traditions proudly and publicly."

The event is free, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP online, to ensure plenty of food for everyone.

The celebration will take place from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in Washington Park, with the Menorah lighting at 4:30.