NORTH HAVEN

The lighting of the menorah on the North Haven Town Green is returning on Monday, Dec. 30 and, through holiday song, will deliver a message of hope and positivity.

The event takes place on the Town Green on the sixth night of Hanukkah and, for a third consecutive time, will see the return of Rabbi Moshe Hecht from the Chabad Jewish Center of Hamden. The event will start at 5 p.m., and Hecht encourages those attending to arrive around 15 minutes before that time.

“We will officially start the program at 5, but it will give people some time to come in,” he said.

Those arriving before the official start will be greeted with the newly added element of live music by the Hanukkah Festival Players. The ensemble consists of musicians from Yale University and the Greater New Haven area performing music arranged and conducted by Kevin Sherwin.

“I'll be also composing a small original piece for after the ceremony,” said Sherwin. “It’s going to be an instrumental piece.”

At the beginning of the event, the Hanukkah Festival Players will perform three traditional Hanukkah songs as attendees gather on the green, after which greetings will be made and glow-in-the-dark sticks will be distributed to everyone.

Several individuals are going to speak, including Hecht, who will “share a few short words with the message of the theme of Hanukkah.”

“Then, we’ll have someone come up to say the blessing on the leader candle, then we'll call up the children to light the actual candles, as they did last year,” said Hecht.

After that, Sherwin and his ensemble will perform traditional songs for which sheet music be passed around for everyone to sing along. Refreshments will be served following the singing.

Hecht said that the addition of Sherwin and the Hanukkah Festival Players this year is going to bring “increased joy” to the ceremony and will fit well with the unifying message of the holiday.

“Every single individual has a light to contribute and to bring to the world and, that now more than ever, we need that combined effort of everyone from all walks of life to do their part, to add their candle to the menorah,” said Hecht. “I think that music has that ability to unify and bring people together, and we also hope that it will bring out more people—people that haven't attended in the past.”

First Selectman Mike Freda expressed his support for the event and the annual holiday festivities in North Haven.

“We will continue to do this year after year and look to make it even more significant and meaningful in subsequent years,” he said. “It’s our hope that we get a tremendous amount of turnout to celebrate this very special and holy time.”

Through the lighting of the menorah, Hecht wants for everyone in attendance to recognize that “your voice matters, your actions matter” and realize that the light and actions which each individual puts into their community and the world should be a positive one.

“It's not a time for despair and not a time to be paralyzed,” said Hecht. “To the contrary, the message of Hanukkah is you have a voice, you have a light, and don't let anyone ever extinguish your unique light.”

This message even applies to the timing of the menorah lighting, when the temperature is certainly expected to be cold just two days before the start of the new year.

“No matter how cold, how bleak things may seem, there's always some warmth. There's a fire that you can kindle, and there's light that you can bring to the world, and you can transform even the coldest night into a very nice, warm, beautiful evening,” said Hecht.