Chabad of Yonkers Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz joyfully “spreads the light” of Chanukah, explaining that “Chanukah is a holiday celebrated at home. But we bring the light out into the street and share the light, to shed light, to illuminate and push away the darkness,” as he started at the fourth night’s Chanukah lighting at the Boyce Thompson Center on North Broadway in Yonkers, with a giant menorah. Joseph Kelleher, president of Simone Metro Properties, which took the previously abandoned Boyce Thompson property, dormant for 40 years, and developed it into a thriving and attractive commercial center, climbed the ladder to light the shamash, as Rabbi Hurwitz sang the traditional Chanukah blessings.

Yonkers Police Officer Dean Campana was next up the ladder lighting the first candle, and passed the torch to Isak Levy of Boyce Thompson’s Family Wellness Pharmacy. Rabbi Hurwitz then led a Chanukah procession of a dozen cars, each with a Happy Chanukah sign and an electric menorah on top, illuminating Yonkers with a wonderful parade of menorahs, circling Yonkers streets and ending back at Yonkers’ Nahmias et Fils Distillery, for pizza, traditional warm latkes for all, and birthday cake celebrating the rabbi’s son Chaim’s 14th birthday.

Robert Kalfus can be reached at [email protected] or 917 379-4165.