20 | DECEMBER 17 • 2020

T

wo events, five minutes
away from each other
in Downtown Detroit,
marked the first night of a
reimagined Chanukah.
Menorah in the D, the
yearly event that usually
draws thousands to Cadillac
Square to watch local
luminaries light a giant
menorah to ring in the
holiday, took place mostly
virtually Dec. 10 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The hybrid event took place
in Campus Martius Park like
usual as hundreds of Jewish
Detroiters watched the music,
games and speeches from
afar. Michigan chapters of the
Chabad Lubavitch movement,
including ChabaD of Greater
Downtown Detroit, staged
the event in partnership with
the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, with
the Jewish News serving as a
streaming media partner.
Hosts of the event
were ChabaD of Greater
Downtown Detroit Executive
Director Rabbi Yisrael
Pinson, Chabad Lubavitch
of Michigan Vice President
Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov
and Rock Ventures Detroit
Ambassador Bruce Schwartz.
Few people attended in
person beyond a small crowd
of media and invited guests,
following concentrated efforts

by the event’s organizers to
encourage Detroiters to stay
home and watch the event
online. At a few points, the
broadcast cut to a large group
of Zoom participants lighting
their menorahs at home.
Michigan Secretary of
State Jocelyn Benson made a
quick in-person appearance
at the event, saying that
Menorah in the D is “such
a great celebration of our
community, our diversity and
our commitment to ensuring
we recognize we’re all in this
together.”
Benson made her
appearance following days
of tight security detail after
armed protesters opposing
the Michigan election results
marched outside her home.
Guests delivering virtual
pre-recorded messages for
the event included Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Gary
Peters, Detroit Mayor Mike
Duggan, Congresswoman
(MI-14) Brenda Lawrence,
State Rep. (MI-39) Ryan
Berman, Michigan State
Sen. Jeremy Moss, Oakland
County Treasurer-elect
Robert Wittenberg, former
JFMD CEO Scott Kaufman,
Michigan Supreme Court
Justice Richard Bernstein
and 2020 Nobel Laureate
Paul Milgrom, a native
Detroiter. Joshua Goldberg

Menorah lighting and a colorful
mural brighten Downtown Detroit.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Chanukah
in the D

IN
THED
JEWS

DANNY SCHWARTZ/JEWISH NEWS

continued on page 22

The giant
menorah
at Campus
Martius Park

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