More than 300 people gathered at the Fair Lawn Town Hall on Sunday for the 14thannual Fair Lawn Chabad Menorah lighting. The nine-foot Menorah was gifted to the town of Fair Lawn in 2006 following a five-year campaign for authorization to add Chanukah decorations to the Town Hall’s Holiday display.

“With a tremendous and diverse Jewish Population, Fair Lawn’s Jewish community needed representation in the borough’s holiday display!” said Rabbi Levi Neubort, director of Anshei Lubavitch. Since its inception, Rabbi and Leah Neubort have expanded the event to include music, lights, Chanukah treats and throngs of joyful celebrants.

Sunday’s event kicked off with laughter and nostalgia at the Small Wonder Theater’s classic Chanukah Puppet Show at the Fair Lawn Public Library. After the performance, families and friends made their way across the street to the Fair Lawn Borough Hall to light the first candles and usher in Chanukah 5780.

Children enjoyed sufganiyot, cotton candy, hot cocoa, traditional and chocolate Chanukah gelt as Deputy Mayor John Cosgrove lit the shamash. Professional soccer player, formerly of HaPoel Tel Aviv, Aviv Volnerman, abandoned his Maccabee “rivalry” in order to light the first candle beside Rabbi Neubort. Spectators were warmed by the spectacular fire show and words of Torah from Rabbi Bergstein, and illuminated the second-darkest day of the year with Chanukah music and dancing!