Bagel-Norah Creates Buzz in MD

Close to 400 men, women, and children came out last night to celebrate the 6th Night of Chanukah in Downtown Bethesda, MD.

They came out to join in the pride and excitement of the evening, but especially to see the unique sight of a giant 10 ft tall Menorah fashioned out of hundreds of bagels. The ‘Bagel-Norah’ was the latest in the series of interesting and whimsical Giant Menorahs that are the main attraction at the Chanukah Family Spectacular that Chabad of Bethesda puts on every year.

The event has become the premier Chanukah event in the Bethesda area and is avidly looked forward to each year by residents of Bethesda regardless of affiliation or denomination. “We try to be creative each year, but this year we really wanted to go outside the box,” says Rabbi Sender Geisinsky – Director of Chabad of Bethesda, “the goal is to attract as many people as possible to participate in this wonderful holiday and to take in its message.

The ‘Bagel-Norah’ started to create buzz as soon as plans of it were announced, attracting attention from the community and media alike. Many were curious to see how such a Menorah would be built. “We used a metal frame wrapped in food grade plastic wrap and then we used the natural ‘hole-iness’ of the bagel to facilitate,” quipped Rabbi Geisinsky. The hundreds of bagels needed to create this one-of-a-kind edifice were donated by local bagel shop Goldberg’s New York Bagels. The bagels will subsequently be donated to a local food bank in time for New Years.

The finished product was erected on-site and towered over the heads of all the intrigued onlookers. The honor of lighting the Menorah was given to Maryland State Delegate from the Bethesda region – Mr. Marc Korman a good friend of Chabad and a regular at the yearly lightings. After a rousing rendition of the Maoz Tzur sung by all those present, the children (and adults!) were treated to a hilarious comedy magic show.

The evening concluded with everyone presented being invited to enjoy some bagels and shmear as well as the more traditional jelly donuts. “This event is always so much fun, we come back year after year,” said Bethesda resident Brianna Stein, “but this year really takes the cake, or shall we say, the bagel!”

With all the light-hearted good fun that everyone was having, Rabbi Geisinsky reminded all to not lose sight of the deeper, meaningful message of the holiday. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe would say that you don’t beat back darkness with a broomstick, rather shine a little light and the darkness will disappear automatically. It is for each one of us to reach in and shine the light that is found within ourselves and light up the world around us.”