Hanukkah Lights

Dozens of members of the Chabad of Northeast Queens turned out for the annual menorah lighting at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center.
Rabbi Yossi Blesofsky (photo left, second from right) of the Chabad Lubavitch of Northeast Queens and Steven Schwartz, (photo left, left) a former Bayside resident who has donated funds for the lighting for the past 14 years, lit the center candle and one for the first night of Hanukkah.
Schwartz said that although he recently moved out of Queens, he felt it was important to continue the lighting tradition. “It’s the best holiday of the year,” he said, following the lighting ceremony on Tuesday, December 4.
Also on hand for the event were local politicians Councilmember David Weprin (photo at left, second from left) and State Senator Toby Stavisky (photo at left, right).
As bitter cold winds whipped around the shopping center, participants like Rabbi Yossi Blesofsky’s 9-year-old son Israel kept warm by dancing, singing, and later enjoying latke cakes. A few hours earlier, four-year-old Yovel (below) got a sneak peek at the menorah before it was lit.