They don’t call it the “Festival of Lights” for nothing.
More than 800 revelers turned out on Dec. 18 for an illuminating Chanukah celebration at Chizuk Amuno Congregation. The “Hanukkah Lights Up The Sky” gathering marked the second time that the Pikesville congregation co-hosted the event with its neighbor, Beth El Synagogue.
The event was partially underwritten by Janet Berg and Everett Siegel in loving memory of their son, Daniel Joseph Siegel, a Krieger Schechter Day School alum, and in recognition of the Daniel’s Sparks of Change Foundation.
The Center for Jewish Camps attended the gathering with representatives of several local and regional Jewish camps, and distributed glowsticks, glow bracelets and glow necklaces. The primary children’s activity was creating LED necklaces, an activity sponsored by the Goldsmith Early Childhood Center, the Rosenbloom Religious School and KSDS — all of Chizuk Amuno — and Beth El’s Pauline Mash School for Early Childhood Education and Berman/Lipavsky Religious School.
The party, which was co-sponsored by Jmore, included a pasta bar, salad and latke dinner; Chanukah games; a performance of holiday songs by two groups of preschoolers and elementary school-age children from both synagogues; an amazing fireworks show; and a chanukiah-lighting ceremony with blessings led by Chizuk Amuno’s Hazzan Emanuel C. Perlman and Cantor Thom King of Beth El.
Other participants in the ceremony included Rabbi Deborah Wechsler of Chizuk Amuno and Beth El’s Rabbi Steve Schwartz; Chizuk Amuno’s Rabbi Paul D. Schneider and Rabbi Dana Saroken of Beth El; Jason A. Blavatt and Denise Franz, the respective presidents of Chizuk Amuno and Beth El; Sara Fuld and Becky Gordon, music coordinator at those shuls; Jamie Cohen and Rebecca Fruman, lay chairs of both synagogues, and their families; and Janet Berg and Everett Siegel.
All photos by Steve Ruark
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