Menorah Truck Will Lead County's Hanukkah Parade

Essex County owes its inaugural Hanukkah parade to 14-year-old Mendel Grossbaum. Wednesday's parade, which begins at 6:00 p.m. in Livingston and winds through Short Hills/Millburn, Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Verona, and ends in West Orange, is a collaboration of the Lubavitch Center of Essex County, Living Legacy and the Friendship Circle, and a project of Rabbinical College of America in Morristown.

Grossbaum learned of other cities' Hanukkah parades – the New York City event sees 300 vehicles travel from Crown Heights to the Upper East Side – and decided that Essex County should have a celebration too.  He shared the idea with his father and uncle, Rabbi Levi Grossbaum and Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum. They reached out to Rabbi Boruch Klar, Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, and Rabbi Yisroel Rosenblum. The group shared what they knew of other cities' events; Kasowitz lists Hanukkah parades in Australia, Wisconsin, and even a boat parade in Venice. They considered ideas, planned a route that winds through the county, and a parade was launched.

Wednesday's procession, which will be led by a red "Menorah Truck" comes on the final night of Hanukkah, notes Kasowitz, who hopes to see spectators "wave and smile." Some 20 to 30 vehicles, many decorated for the holiday, will follow the truck.

The hope of the parade organizers, he says, is "to inspire people, to bring joy into people's lives." He finds the parade especially meaningful because it's an important part of the tradition to "publicize the miracle" of Hanukkah. Kasowitz, who will be part of the procession, looks forward to the parade, as a symbol of "freedom, joy, and unity" for Essex County.

The parade will begin at 6 p.m. in 66 West Mount Pleasant Avenue in Livingston and will end in West Orange on Pleasant Valley Way.