Sunday Night Football to Organize First Hanukkah Menorah Lighting

A number of firsts will probably be celebrated on the primary night time of Hanukkah this 12 months.

The primary Sunday Night time Soccer menorah lighting will happen on the New York Giants vs Washington Commanders sport on December 18, which can be one of many eight days of Hanukkah 2022.

The sport will probably be performed at FedEx Discipline exterior Washington DC, the place CTeen Worldwide or Chabad Teen Community and Chabad of Maryland will maintain the lighting ceremony after the primary quarter.

By Jerusalem PostA menorah specifically designed for the occasion will sit within the concourse overlooking the stadium, and spectators will have the ability to see the illumination on the jumbotron.

A Jewish youth will reportedly learn the blessing and be attended by members of CTeen Worldwide and Chabad of Maryland. Along with the lighting, there will probably be a menorah parade to the stadium and Hanukkah-themed tailgates with latches and jam donuts.

On the identical day, the menorah will probably be illuminated throughout the match between the LA Chargers and the Tennessee Titans. CTeen’s website.

Whereas stories say it was the primary menorah lighting at a Sunday night time sport, an analogous Hanukkah occasion was held on the Miami Dolphins sport in 1987, in response to a resurfaced supply. youtube video.

Alongside the vacation, the high-stakes sport that may decide which group makes it to the playoffs is in America’s most-watched TV timeslot and is poised to draw a big viewers.

Ten thousand of the 80 thousand spectators within the stands will probably be Jews. to mail.

“The primary public menorah lighting of the prime-time sport, watched by 80,000 followers from the stands and watched by over 18 million from their houses, shines the sunshine of Hanukkah at a time when standard tradition is shaken by anti-Semitism,” Maryland’s Chabad stated in a press release. This Jerusalem Submit.

Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky of CTeen Worldwide echoed this sentiment, noting the influence of anti-Semitism on younger Jewish folks. “There are Jewish youths who’ve been feeling stressed these days,” he stated. “Seeing a younger good friend lighting a menorah throughout a giant soccer sport will assist them, as proud Jews, maintain their heads excessive and be that little piece of sunshine that illuminates the darkness.”