World’s largest menorah may be in New York City, but there are others

Starting tomorrow, the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday that celebrates the triumph of the Maccabees over the Syrians and God’s protection, the world’s largest menorah will take center stage on the corner of 59th St. and 5th Ave. The menorah, a 32 feet-tall candelabra, has gas lamps that function as wicks. A cherry-picker will lift the lamp-lighter high enough to reach the lights each night at 5:30, except for Friday when it will be lit at 3:40 pm before the Jewish Sabbath starts, and at 8:30 pm on Saturday when Sabbath ends.

Although this is the largest menorah on display, it’s not the only one. Here’s a link where you can find other public menorah lightings around the world. For example, here’s an address for the Chabad in Paraguay, in case you wanted to know. The one in the photograph is from Barcelona, Spain. Here’s a link to other thumbnails that lead to larger photos.