Union Square menorah lighting goes virtual during COVID-19
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Chabad of San Francisco Rabbi Yosef Langer, right, speaks after lighting the menorah in Union Square while Brian Webster holds a cellphone with a light to broadcast the event online, in San Francisco on Dec. 16, 2020. It is the 45th consecutive year the menorah has been lit in Union Square.Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATEShow MoreShow Less
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People gather to to take photos in front of the Macy s holiday tree and the Bill Graham Menorah in Union Square in San Francisco on Dec. 16, 2020.Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATEShow MoreShow Less
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Chabad of San Francisco Rabbi Yosef Langer, center, speaks to the few people before the the Bill Graham Menorah lighting in Union Square in San Francisco on Dec. 16, 2020, while Brian Webster, left, holds a cellphone to broadcast the event online. It is the 45th consecutive year the menorah has been lit in Union Square.Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATEShow MoreShow Less
The Bill Graham menorah has been a fixture for decades. It s affectionately called the mamma menorah because 45 years later there s 15,000 public menorahs all across the world, said Moshe Langer.
A symbol of light and hope, for those celebrating at home this year, Langer says Ambassadors of light are available to deliver a menorah to anyone s doorstep. This pandemic has really caused us to dig deeper and further within ourselves to find that light that positivity within us and within the world and uncover that and shine it bright, said Moshe Langer.
While this Chanukah will be unique, many are finding ways to incorporate tradition, Frena Bakery in San Francisco was buzzing as people picked up orders for sufganiyot, traditional Chanukah jelly doughnuts.
It wouldn’t have been a first-night Hanukkah celebration in this year of tumult without at least
something unexpected happening.
Sure enough, as Rabbi Yosef Langer of Chabad of San Francisco prepared to light the
shamash on the enormous menorah in Union Square, the glass bulb protecting the candle from wind fell off and smashed to the ground.
“It’s like a wedding,” Langer, a big S.F. Giants fan known as the “Rally Rabbi,” said with a chuckle after things had settled down. After a quick swapping of the wind guards, Langer was able to light the shamash the helper candle marking the start of the eight-night holiday on Thursday evening.