An organisation that provides supports to the Jewish community and promotes Judaism is hoping to become the epicentre of the community.
Chabad Lubavitch, which recently moved to Bricket Wood, wants to establish its role by holding an outdoor Menorah lighting to mark the start of Chanukah (Hanukkah) - the Jewish Festival of Lights.
The event takes place at 4pm on Sunday November 28 at the corner of Oakwood Road and West Riding.
Rabbi Eliezer Tunk came back from America in July to set up Chabad Lubavitch in Bricket Wood, after frequent requests from villagers to send a rabbi to participate in their Menorah lighting and satisfy the demand for a centre for the local Jewish community.
Rabbi Eliezer said: “One of the values that personally I feel is important is to promote and gather together positive community feeling among the Jewish and at the same time amongst all the community, a sense of one family and being all together and wanting what’s best for the community as a whole.”
The Menorah lighting is open to everyone with free admission and is a nice family event with donuts on offer, as it is custom to eat products fried in oil.
Eliezer said while the Menorah lighting was not organised by Chabad last year there was a turnout of over 150 people, and this year he estimates around 200.
Chabad Lubavitch also plans to set up a community centre in the future, open to the whole community.
Rabbi Eliezer said: “There’s a need for it, a central location where provisions are provided for the community. For example, there is something currently happening where residents are running foodbanks every weekend to help families that need food and clothing, and the community centre would be the central point for the food bank, and the brownies also who don’t have a central point for meeting.”
He said the Jewish community in Bricket Wood had been growing steadily over the last 20 years. He estimated there are around 300 Jewish families in the village and many Jews in surrounding villages such as Abbots Langley and Frogmore.
Chabad has an international network of over 4,000 centres in more than 100 countries around the world and is a movement that derives its inspiration from a passion for Judaism and a love for Jewish people, and all mankind.
For more information go to Chabad Lubavitch of Bricket Wood & Districts (jewishbricketwood.org)
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