NEW YORK (AP) — Menorah lightings to mark the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah are planned near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Ellipse in Washington D.C. and in many other cities around the world.
In London, a menorah lighting is scheduled for Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. in Trafalgar Square. In Paris, a lighting planned for Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. will include a concert with live Jewish music and a live video link to menorah lightings in New York and Jerusalem at the Western Wall. In Berlin, the menorah lighting will take place Dec. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
In New York, a "Hanukkah on ice" event is planned for Dec. 10, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., with a concert and skating party at the rink in Central Park just north of the 59th Street entrance. At 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, a giant menorah carved from blocks of ice will be lit Dec. 11, at 6 p.m.
In Washington, the National Menorah Lighting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Ellipse near the White House, with performances by the U.S. Navy Band and a musical group called The Three Cantors.
In Miami, the Miami Heat host a Jewish heritage night at the basketball team's Dec. 12 game at American Airlines Arena. A menorah will be lit at half-time and a Hanukkah party will be held on the court after the game.
Numerous other events, all sponsored by the Chabad Lubavitch outreach organization, are scheduled at locations around the world, from U.S. college campuses to city centers large and small including outposts in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The events are open to all, family-oriented, and most are free. Many of the lightings include live music and children's activities. For a searchable directory of events, visit http://www.hanukkah.org .
The eight-day Jewish holiday begins at sundown Dec. 8. The public menorahs will be lit each night, but the exact timing varies due to observances of the Jewish Sabbath on Friday and Saturday nights and in order to accommodate the schedules of dignitaries attending some of the bigger events.