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Moussia Geisinsky with children and their tiles

Adding Light

Chabads bring community together
for menorah lighting at cider mill.

Stacy Gittleman I Contributing Writer

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December 15 2016

JN

I

n a unifying effort to brighten up
and the public is welcome to watch,
Chanukah's dark nights, Chabad
minus the fanfare and a warming cup of
of Farmington Hills and Bingham
hot cider.
Farms collaborated with Jewish schools
Before he began his conversion to
across Metro Detroit and with artist
Judaism more than five years ago,
Ariel Cummings to create an 11-foot-tall
Cummings of Detroit — an artist, musi-
menorah.
cian and electric engineer — gave his tal-
It will have its first
ents to the fledgling techno
kindling at a commu-
music scene in Detroit as a
nity-wide Chanukah
DJ and sound engineer in
festival on the second
the early 2000s.
night of Chanukah in
Now working as a
the parking lot of the
contractor and a painter,
Franklin Cider Mill in
Cummings said he draws
Bloomfield Township
his inspiration from the
from 5-7 p.m. Sunday,
artists and crafters in the
Dec. 25. The evening's
Torah, such as Betzalel,
highlights include
who was given the task of
music, an eclectic
fashioning the Ark of the
)
menu from chili to
Covenant.
Ariel Cummings works on
sushi and, of course,
"I once traveled the
the menorah.
hot apple cider.
world bringing Detroit's
Lighting the meno-
techno music to new audi-
rah will be Bloomfield
ences, but I needed a dif-
Township Trustee Neal Barnett. Rabbis
ferent approach:' Cummings said. "My
representing Jewish streams across the
knack for building things led me to other
spectrum will also share their insights on opportunities and now I am building this
the miracle of Chanukah.
menorah. I am merely the overseer on
Chabad of Bingham Farms' Rabbi
this project, something so many others
Bentzion and Moussia Geisinsky came
helped to create. My goal is to have the
up with the idea, wanting to unite people children look up and take pride, see the
in the creation of a menorah to "brighten tile they created and say 'I made that:"
the darkness that's around us." They
Cummings said he was drawn to
reached out to Jewish day schools and
Judaism because of traditions rooted in
religious schools, inviting students to
bringing light to bad situations.
decorate one ceramic tile to contribute to
"When you look at all the bad things
the menorah. Since starting the project
in the world, it can get quite distressing;
in mid-November, students and others
he said. "But regardless of where you
have decorated more than 300 tiles.
are in your life, as Jews we can tran-
"The message of the menorah is the
scend hardships and become something
power of how a little light can dispel
greater because we have the Torah as
much darkness," said Rabbi Geisinsky.
our roadmap to guide us. Judaism truly
"The trust the Jews had in God gave way
draws people to light" *
to the miracle of a small jug of oil burn-
ing brightly for eight days."
The event is free because of generous sponsors.
On successive nights, Chabad rabbis
RSVP by Dec. 21 to Rabbi Chaim Bergstein of Bois
will be lighting the menorah around 5:15 Chabad of Farmington Hills at rcmbergstein@
each night of the holiday on the property gmail.com .