By COLlive reporter
Photos by Shimon Roumani and Chaim Perl
“Only in New York can an Italian light the Largest Menorah in front of the Plaza Hotel,” said the Mayor Bill de Blasio as he addressed the crowd at the lighting of the fourth candle of the World’s Largest Menorah in Manhattan.
Greeted by Rabbi Shmuel Butman, Director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, the Mayor said: “I may be taller than you, but I look up to you for knowledge and wisdom.” Rabbi Butman replied, “that is, Mr. Mayor, because you are also humble.”
Raised by a Con Edison Cherry Picker, Rabbi Butman stressed the message of the Menorah that stands as a “symbol of freedom and democracy for all people regardless of race religion color or creed.”
He also said the message of the Menorah that “the Maccabees did not negotiate with the enemy they fought and were victorious.”
Rabbi Butman underlined the special importance of this message to our generation, as the Rebbe teaches us that we are the last generation of exile and the first generation of Redemption.
Despite heavy traffic in Midtown, the Mayor showed up exactly at 5:30 PM. “Do you know how the Mayor got here?” Rabbi Butman asked. “He took the Subway, as the Mayor is a man of the people.”
Rabbi Butman thanked the City of New York and the Police Departement standing strong to protect all its citizens.
The Mayor thanked Rabbi Butman for the invitation and said that he was proud to be there. He continued that he is proud to be the Mayor of the city that has the largest Jewish population in the world.
“When I met the Mayor of Jerusalem not long ago, I told him that there are more Jews in the City of New York then in Jerusalem,” he noted during the ceremony held opposite Central Park.
Speaking on the subject of safety and security, de Blasio said that New York will continue to do all it can for the safety and security of all its citizens and that it will not tolerate terrorism.
The Mayor then lit the Shamosh of the Menorah, certified in 2005 as the largest in the world by the Guinness World Records. Designed by Yaacov Agam, it stands at 32 feet tall, 28 feet wide and weighs 4,000 lbs.
The Mayor exhibited great festive spirit and as he looked at the wonderful sight of the Menorah, enjoyed the especially convenient lift, all in the most prestigious New York City surroundings, the Mayor called out to his staff, “way to go!”
