By Marion Filler
On an evening that was by turns joyous and somber, under the alert gaze of police in combat fatigues, less than two weeks after a deadly assault in a Jewish community in Jersey City, Morristown marked the start of Chanukah with the lighting of a 14-foot LED menorah.
“A couple of weeks ago, there was a darkness that descended on Jersey City… We can fight the darkness with light. Every time we do a mitzvah, we do another good deed, we fight darkness,” said Rabbi Moishe Gurevitz of the Chabad Young Professionals of Morristown, organizers of the event with the Rabbinical College of America.
The theme was echoed throughout the ceremony. Mindful of the rise in anti-semitism, most recently by the attack on a Kosher grocery store in Jersey City, as well as the political divide that plagues our democracy, each speaker addressed the need for unity in the face of division.
“In your darkest moment, search for that light because it’s there,” said Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty.
“There’s nothing better than looking out and seeing how many people from the community are here and that’s what it’s all about. That’s what you guys bring to us as part of our community,” he said, concluding with the hope that “we can continue to live among each other in love, in light, and in harmony.”
The mayor was accompanied by his wife, Mary Dougherty, in their first public event together since she was charged on Thursday with taking a bribe in her unsuccessful 2018 campaign for Morris County Freeholder. She declined to comment about her situation at Sunday’s ceremony; previously, she expressed the belief that she will be vindicated.
Rabbi Moshe Herson, dean of the Rabbinical College, defined the message of Chanukah as one of light and hope.
“We are all put here together at this particular time for a reason,” he said. “God expects us to live together in peace and mutual respect.”
Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove and Kevin Coughlin; click/hover on image for captions:
“This is the Festival of Lights,” said state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco (R-25th Dist.), who was appointed to succeed his late father a few weeks ago.
“Let us embrace that light and eliminate the darkness to recognize that we can all live as one in peace and love. All religions coming together to recognize each other as people and as friends.”
Asked afterward how he felt about President Trump’s impeachment, he replied: “I think I’ve got enough problems here at home to deal with.”
Other dignitaries in attendance included new Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-25th Dist.) recently chosen to succeed Bucco in the Assembly; Cathy Wilson, the next mayor of Morris Township, and fellow Committeeman Mark Gyorfy; and Morristown Council members Stefan Armington, Robert Iannaccone and David Silva.
The Cheder choir of Morristown entertained the crowd with rousing song. Off in the shadows, a group of men danced to celebrate the holiday. One man dressed as a dreidel. Volunteers handed out jelly doughnuts–a Chanukah tradition–and served hot cider and hot chocolate.
Nearby, parents and children queued for one last audience with Santa, on the final night of the Christmas Festival at the Morristown Green.
The evening’s lightest moment came when Morris Township Mayor Jeff Grayzel climbed into a cherry picker to light the menorah.
Bad weather last month prevented Santa from making his usual descent from the Century 21 rooftop in a firefighter’s ladder bucket.
Grayzel’s aerial maneuver was not quite as dramatic. But it was festive and fun, especially when Grayzel insisted that a rabbi hold the torch.
The Morris Township mayor was unfazed by the height.
“It wasn’t so bad. It’s not so high,” he said afterward. “From up there (Century 21), it might be scary. But this wasn’t scary.”
MorristownGreen.com editor Kevin Coughlin contributed to this article.
