For years, 43rd Street at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront’s North End neighborhood has drawn thousands of spectators to its famous displays of holiday lights.
When Dr. Mark Lipton moved to the street earlier this year, he knew there was an expectation to put up a dazzling light display, and knew he had to do something Jewish with it. That’s why he contacted fellow North End resident Dr. Bill Simon, who engineered and constructed a brilliant 11-foot menorah from PVC piping.
On the second night of Hanukkah, just one night after 43rd Street formally lit up for the season, Lipton and Chabad at the Oceanfront hosted nearly 100 people for a first-in-the-neighborhood Hanukkah celebration and giant menorah lighting. With the assistance of Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer and Congresswoman-elect Elaine Luria, the menorah was lit in a ceremony accompanied by latkes, sufganiyot, and Hanukkah music.
Recalling the recent horrific attack in Pittsburgh and noting the ever-pressing need to increase light all around us, Rabbi Zalman Margolin honed in on the story of Hanukkah and the timeless message it teaches. On behalf of Chabad, Bracha Margolin presented “Tree of Life” Tzedakah boxes to the new mayor and congresswoman-elect. “A tree reminds us that as Jews, we have strong roots. Though we may be a minority, our strong roots keeps us together. Charity is about giving and we are so lucky to have you both help give back to our community and our country,” she said.
Greetings were delivered by Mayor Dyer and Congresswoman-elect Luria, who added, “Thank you for this lovely box for Tzedakah to put on my desk. This will be very special when I’m up in Washington. It’s very meaningful that I’m part of the this community and I’m able to go to Washington and represent this community.”
Rabbi Zalman Margolin