WESTBOROUGH – Community members packed the lawn outside Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough Nov. 28 for a special menorah lighting on the first night of Hanukkah this year.
The event marked the first lighting of B’nai Shalom’s new outdoor menorah, which community members built over the course of just five weeks this fall according to Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz.
“This congregation has a long history of doing a lot itself,” Gurevitz told the Community Advocate of the decision to build the menorah. “…I knew that, rather than going online and buying something, with the right people, we could do something uniquely us.”
Impacted by COVID-19, B’nai Shalom has adapted, notably holding drive-in Hanukkah observances a year ago.
As Hanukkah approached this year, Gurevitz said, she contacted a number of congregation members who she knew might be interested in building an outdoor menorah to serve as a focal point for in-person Hanukkah events amid the lingering pandemic.
That crew worked quickly, erecting the menorah which now overlooks East Main Street in Westborough.
Gurevitz estimated that at least 200 individuals turned up on Nov. 28 for the menorah lighting.
She thanked those individuals who built the menorah and lauded their work.
“I’m delighted with how it came out,” she said.
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