Brooklyn, NY – Bais Din Settles Dispute, Awarding Title Of World’s Largest To Central Park Menorah

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    FILE - Onlookers watch during the lighting of what is billed as the "World's Largest Menorah" in Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan on December 11, 2012 in New York City.  (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Brooklyn, NY – It may be technically be the tallest menorah in the world, but as of December 1st, a massive menorah at the main entrance to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park can no longer call itself “The World’s Largest Menorah.”

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    The 32 foot tall menorah, the maximum size allowed by Jewish law, has been gracing Grand Army Plaza during the Chanukah season since 1984. The menorah is lit each year by Rabbi Shimon Hecht and various community leaders who climb aboard a cherry picker to light the oversized candles.

    But while Chabad of Park Slope has been touting the menorah as the world’s largest, that claim has been disputed by Rabbi Shmuel Butman who has been lighting a menorah of equal height designed by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam across from Central Park for approximately forty years.

    Although Guinness World Records certified the 4,000 pound Manhattan menorah as the world’s tallest in 2006, the Brooklyn menorah actually has a height advantage of several inches because of its longer shamash.

    A decision handed down by a Chabad bais din published on CrownHeights.info decided in favor of Rabbi Butman and his Manhattan menorah, noting that the Brooklyn menorah had no right to use the phrase “world’s largest menorah” when it was already in use by another group.

    “The purpose of Chanukah is to publicize the miracle [of the oil] and to sanctify the name of G-d and the name of Chabad and not, G-d forbid, the opposite,” wrote the dayanim in the decision. “When a group comes into a city that already has someone using a description [of world’s largest menorah] without permission, it can damage the reputation of Lubavitch, especially when the media covers the story [of the two competing menorahs.]”
    Large Public Menorah (Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht Menorah) during Chanukah in front of the NY State Supreme Court Building in Downtown Brooklyn New York City
    The decision ordered Chabad of Park Slope to stop using the title “world’s largest menorah” immediately and to either close or modify a website by the same name to reflect the bais din’s ruling. Chabad of Park Slope was also instructed to only use descriptions that would not cause any confusion such as “the largest menorah in Brooklyn.”

    In keeping with the bais din’s ruling the website WorldsLargestMenorah.com now redirects to a page of the Chabad of Park Slope website with the header “The Largest Menorah Brooklyn New York.” A Facebook page dedicated to the menorah changed its profile picture on December 8th to a photograph bearing the same verbiage.

    Rabbi Hecht’s son, Rabbi Moshe Hecht, told news outlet Brooklyn Paper that Chabad of Park Slope was concentrating not on semantics but on the upcoming holiday.

    “The menorah is the same menorah,” said Rabbi Hecht. “We’re really just focusing on making this Chanukah the greatest ever.”

    A third official menorah located in Brooklyn Heights in front of the Brooklyn Supreme Court building near Borough Hall, clocks in at 25 feet and gives Kings County at least some bragging rights.

    “We’ve got two huge menorahs and they’re got one,” said former borough president Mary Markowitz. “Enough said.”


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    17 Comments
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    zackk
    zackk
    7 years ago

    Oy. So embarrassing. Perhaps the Beis Din made a bigger chillul Hashem by even taking up this issue then what the media could have ever done.
    Besides, why can’t manahattan be the largest counting width and brooklyn be the tallest (it is).

    Mark Levin
    Mark Levin
    7 years ago

    Glad that’s worst thing going on in lubyville.

    CHAIM36
    CHAIM36
    7 years ago

    Only a bes din from CHELM would even think of this nariskeit to get involve.

    alterknaker
    alterknaker
    7 years ago

    B”h not any worse problems

    7 years ago

    I am embarrassed. Both parties are as bad as the other – I don’t know which one started it, but the other was clearly quite happy to join in. This was news on the Chabad websites a few weeks ago & for what it’s worth, EVERY comment was one of disgust, embarrassment and ridicule. Another popular response was contempt for their egos.

    Please understand: it seems these two have nothing more pressing to worry about. But the reality is, they really do. Don’t judge the level of common sense in Chabad by these two. The vast majority of us, including our Shluchim and educators, would never let such a stupid, petty squabble over something so ridiculous reach these epic proportions. I am just as certain the Rebbe would have nipped this craziness in the bud at the first “mine is bigger than yours.” This is NOT what we are about & they certainly don’t represent Chabad.

    cynic
    cynic
    7 years ago

    How’s about calling one the “largest” and one the “biggest”?
    Kind of like how (before they merged) the two biggest makers of Swiss Army Knifes agreed that one could be the “original” and one the “genuine”

    7 years ago

    With all the fraud and child molestation in our community, this is what they focus on?

    lakewooder
    lakewooder
    7 years ago

    This is apropos for the naarishkeit of lighting a menora in the street.

    Keep Torah, not Xtianity!

    There is nothing Jewish about a Menorah in the streets. At home and in shul, nowhere else

    Yossi_Schochet
    Yossi_Schochet
    7 years ago

    Outdoor menorah lighting is an old debate. Is it a mitzvah or not? Lubavitch does it. Litvish generally don’t (with some minor exceptions). To each his own. Be respectful of others. Now move on. There is nothing new here.