Free 8th Night Chanukah Celebration to Kick Off at Boca Center
By: Bryanna Basilio
The Shops at Boca Center is expected to hold an eighth night of Chanukah celebration. The free community celebration will include latkes, gelt, live music, prizes, storytelling and more on the eighth night of Chanukah, Dec. 19. Everyone is invited to get into the fun and bask in the holiday warmth and glow of a giant menorah in the amphitheater at The Shops at Boca Center, 5050 Town Center Circle in Boca Raton.
The festivities will begin with crafts and story time at 5:30 p.m. before the candle lighting and musical entertainment at 6 p.m. Local synagogues, day schools and Jewish organizations will display the vibrant diversity of the South Palm Beach County Jewish community.
Rabbis from throughout South Palm Beach County lit up the night at an previous PJ Library 8th Night of Chanukah Celebration
“We’re creating one giant menorah of our whole community at 6:00,” said Rabbi Josh Broide, Director of the Deborah & Larry D. Silver Center for Jewish Engagement, a Division of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. “The radiance of our Jewish community will be unmistakable as leaders representing the full array of our local synagogues share in the candle lighting.”
This special community event will be presented by PJ Library of South Palm Beach County and PJ Our Way, which specializes in free family engagement programs that inspire a love of Judaism and reading for families and children from infancy to age eleven.
Following the menorah lighting, Atlanta-based Jewish musician Sammy Rosenbaum and band members will offer a sing-a-long for all ages, followed by a Chanukah concert. Rosenbaum is also a Jewish music educator and the multi-instrumentalist who blends styles ranging from Jazz, Funk, and Folk to World Beat and Hip Hop connecting all ages through Jewish music.
“All families raising Jewish children from six months through eight years old in South Palm Beach County are invited to sign up for PJ Library to receive a monthly gift of free high-quality Jewish children’s books and music sent right to their homes,” said Elana Ostroff, local PJ Library Director.
“We are so grateful to The Shops at Boca Center and to our other local sponsors, Joseph’s Classic Market and Hoffman’s Chocolates for generously supporting what is sure to be a night to remember for our Jewish community.”
The PJ Library of South Palm Beach County Partnership is made possible by generous support from the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism, Leon and Toby Cooperman Family Foundation, and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Sponsors of PJ Library and PJ Our Way include: Florida Blue, Smiles by Dr. W & Dr. R Quality Orthodontics, and the Jewish Women’s Foundation.
For more information about the Chanukah event at Boca Center, or to sign up for PJ Library, call Elana Ostroff, PJ Library Director, at 561-852-6080 or email pjlibrary@bocafed.org.
