Celebrations for Chanukah’s sixth night started at Yonkers City Hall, with Mayor Mike Spano lighting the shammash and other dignitaries kindling the other lights, followed by a plentiful kosher dinner, including latkes and sufganiot.

Starting at the office of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz led a Chanukah procession of almost two dozen cars, each with a brightly lit “Happy Chanukah” sign and a lit electric menorah on top, illuminating Yonkers with a wonderful parade of menorahs, circling Yonkers streets, stopping first at Yonkers Department of Public Works for speeches from Mayor Spano and other officials. The Yonkers Police Department assured safe transit for all the Chanukah decorated cars, which then proceeded to their final point at Yonkers’ Nahmias et Fils Distillery, where pizza, warm latkes and sufganiot were served.

Yonkers Distillery Nahmias et Fils was founded by Dorit Nahmias and her husband Master Distiller David Nahmias, a former computer-software engineer, who was raised in the small Moroccan town of Taznakht. His parents Joseph and Tamou, and grandparents, Saada and Moshe, were also distillers and they created Mahia, a unique Jewish alcoholic beverage, made entirely from figs, dates or grapes. David Nahmias and his wife Dorit hand-craft their award-winning spirits with the finest natural ingredients and are proudly the sole producers of Mahia in the United States. Mahia is produced at Nahmias et Fils at 201 Saw Mill River Road, building C.

Twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for news photography, award-winning photographer Robert Kalfus has worked since 1970 and continues to provide documentaries. He is available for assignments. Contact him at (917) 379-4165 or [email protected].