By: h. nazan ışık—

7 December 2023—

Governor Kathy Hockul was in New York on Thursday, 7 December to attend the lighting of the world’s largest menorah in Manhattan to mark the first night of Hanukkah.

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32 ft (9.7 m) tall, 28 ft (8.5 m) wide the world’s largest menorah is located at Central Park South’s Grand Army Plaza, opposite the Plaza Hotel.

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Rabbi Shmuel Butman of the Lubavitch Youth Organization introduced Gov. Hochul: “I must tell you that the Governor of the State of New York is right here. I don’t want to hold on our great governor and I want to present to you the great Governor of New York, The honorable Kathy Hockul.”

Gov. Kathy Hockul added “The proud Governor of the State with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.”

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Governor Kathy Hochul continued “ “Hanukkah is a reminder of the strength and resiliency and the ability to find light through darkness, and if ever in our history in New York we have needed to find light after darkness, it is right now. But what people are having to deal with and endure is unspeakable, and it must stop. But I know that we’ll rise together, and we will not be intimidated into silence, will not be threatened into submission, and we will rise up and prevail,

“I want to make sure everyone knows that I’m working hard to keep you all safe. We are making sure that everywhere you go to worship and celebrate this great holiday, that you will be safe because there is no room for hate in the great state of New York. Happy Hanukkah everybody!“

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The menorah is so tall that a lift was needed to light the candle.

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The Menorah will be lit each night at 17:30 (5:30 p.m.) of Hanukkah. But due to Shabbat on Friday it will be earlier.

All photos copyright © h. nazan ışık / NKENdiKEN