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December 20th, 2020 
Awake Goy 
Jews in the Polish capital Warsaw still celebrated the holiday of Hanukkah in public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Poland Rabbi Sholom Ber Stambler lit a giant menorah in front of the city’s Palace of Culture on Friday, a building that was a gift to Poland from Soviet premier Josef Stalin.Ninety-two years before, the late Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson married his wife Chaya Mushka, where the grand wedding reception took place just blocks away from where the Palace of Culture now rests.“All this happens, thanks to Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, who is known as the most influential rabbi in contemporary history,” said Trzaskowski, according to Chabad.org.Schneerson launched a worldwide Hanukkah “awareness campaign” from Poland in 1973, from when it has since grown. Now there are around 15,000 outdoor menorahs in public setting around the world lit each year during the holiday, according to Chabad – Warsaw has raised a menorah in public for the past 15 years.“We have already gotten used to it that it is celebrated practically all around the world, but we are especially proud because it all started in our city, Warsaw,” Trzaskowski. “It was here … [that] the Rebbe married the daughter of his predecessor and everything … that he did for humanity started. These lights closed the circle, coming back to the place where it all started, to Warsaw.”Stambler discussed the significance and honor that comes with serving others, a message that seems especially relevant amid the coronavirus pandemic.
if(window.location.pathname.indexOf(“647856”) != -1) {console.log(“hedva connatix”);document.getElementsByClassName(“divConnatix”)[0].style.display =”none”;}“Stalin built a monument here for himself that outlasted his life and his time,” says Chabad’s Stambler. “The Palace of Culture was for so long a center of darkness. Today, the menorah stands at that very place to share the message of faith, tolerance, religious freedom and the power of light.”“Look at the ‘Shamash’ candle on the menorah,” Stambler said. “Despite its servant role it is elevated and honored, because it gives light to all other candles. The role of leaders is similar – they also serve others and are this service only aids to their greatness.”Celebrating the holiday openly is considered an important part of Hanukkah, which emphasizes the publicizing of the mitzvah.Chabad is one of the most active Jewish groups holding Hanukkah celebrations around the world, having lit the some 15,000 large public menorahs around the world, deploying more than 6,500 “menorah-topped cars” and distributing over 700,000 menorah kits and 2.5 million holiday guides in 17 languages.
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