Chabad center lights an ice menorah downtown to celebrate Hanukkah

By Story by Claire Kespohl; Photos by Yong Li Xuan

Festive Hanukkah music echoed through the streets of downtown Columbia on Thursday evening during the Chabad Jewish Center of MU and Mid-Missouri’s 11th annual public menorah lighting at City Hall.

More than 60 community members gathered at the Daniel Boone City Building to watch the lighting of a 5-foot menorah made of ice, sculpted around an hour before the ceremony. Sculptor Scott Hampton shaped the base and arms separately using a chainsaw and various smaller tools to assist with precision.

The menorah is a candelabrum with nine branches, one for for each of the eight days of Hanukkah and the shamash, the ninth and centermost candle of the menorah used to light the other candles.

Intricate menorahs are not a new concept in Hanukkah celebrations. Rabbi Avraham Lapine of Chabad said he likes to find ways to make menorahs more exciting.

The ceremony also recognized the 50th anniversary of the first public menorah lighting. Lapine said public menorah lightings originated in the United States, with the first taking place in Philadelphia at the Liberty Bell.

Moments before the lighting, Lapine explained the importance of being able to practice Judaism and celebrate Jewish holidays publicly.

Lapine then talked about the importance of light in the Jewish holiday. “The menorah symbolizes light,” he said, “and we know that when you’re in a room full of darkness, all you’ve got to do is light a candle and the entire room lights up.”

To start off the ceremony, Hampton lit the shamash. Lapine recited a blessing in Hebrew and lit two candles on the menorah.

The event attracted a diverse crowd, from regularly attending members of the Chabad to non-Jewish people joining their friends to Mayor Barbara Buffaloe.

Rebekah Mauschbaugh attended the lighting with her friend Cameron Nuss. The two just moved to Columbia and were curious about Jewish faith-based events in town.

“I’m here for fun,” Mauschbaugh said. “I went to Mizzou, and I heard about Chabad on Facebook, and then I saw all of the events.” Mauschbaugh doesn’t practice Judaism but has become familiar with the faith and its holidays through Nuss.

Chabad is one of the largest Jewish organizations in the world, Lapine said. Its mission to connect Jewish people extends beyond practicing Jews to those with little to no knowledge of the religion.

Daniel Swindell has attended Chabad events in Columbia for about 10 years but didn’t practice Judaism prior to joining. “What Chabad does is they meet people like me, who don’t have much of a Jewish background, and they help teach you about Judaism,” Swindell said.

The ceremony included a gelt drop, a Jewish tradition of dropping chocolate coins wrapped in gold or silver foil from overhead. To conclude Thursday’s ceremony, little bags of chocolate coins floated down in parachutes from a firetruck ladder provided by the Columbia Fire Department.

Pedestrians passing by city hall slowed down to watch the celebration of the second night of Hanukkah. Some drivers rolled their windows down to listen to the ceremony with smiles on their faces.

“It’s a really welcoming place, it’s an amazing place, I love Chabad,” Swindell said.