#Light my menorah mama free#

My expertise is in coordination вЂ“ space coordination and flow. But this year, Rabbi Yisrael Pinson brought me into the event, knowing my previous work and ability to organize and plan big community events. Rachel: I had been involved with Menorah in the D when I was on staff at Federation. Working together with them was fantastic the entire process was grassroots as it has been in Detroit for so long. Every person connected to the eventВ вЂ“ from Benji Rosenzweig to Rabbi Kasriel and Itty Shemtov вЂ“ everyone involved was so excited to bring something like this to the people of Detroit. The menorahвЂ™s design symbolizes people standing together and, that together, we are stronger. Israel:В In large part, the inspiration for the design of the menorah came from the community. Israel:В Our discussions started with an eight-foot menorah, then 10-foot, and then 15, which lead to the key question: How big could it be? We ultimately decided to create the piece as it stands, over 25 feet tall.Д®rik:В We wanted the menorah to be an epic piece of the Chanukah story вЂ“ one that also would speak true to Detroit for years to come.

We considered the size and scale of their pieces, and then stepped things up to make DetroitвЂ™s art piece even more significant. We looked at menorahs in other cities вЂ“ London and elsewhere.

MyJewishDetroit: LetвЂ™s start by talking about Menorah in the D, how did you get involved?Д®rik: Six years ago, the Shul commissioned us to create a menorah that would be a signature for the Detroit Jewish community and a statement to the world that our city was on the rise again. Q&A with Rachel, Erik and Israel On big events, big spaces and people changing the landscape of Detroit, big time

Previously, she was on staff at the Federation, starting as Teen Mission Coordinator, then managing its packed calendar of fundraisers and community events, including NEXTGenвЂ™s Annual Latke Vodka and Epic events. With a strong background in hospitality and culinary arts, Rachel recently launched her own events company, Taubman Events. Brothers, Israel Nordin (left) and Erik Nordin (holding a tabletopВ renditionВ of theВ landmark Menorah in the D), break for a photo op in the Detroit Design Center

Home-based in the Detroit Design Center, located at 6100 Michigan Avenue, their 12,000-square foot studio space is a converted steel company that their father owned. Self-described as вЂњartists who create objects for spaces,вЂќ Erik and Israel have been partners, building landmark sculptures, fine art, furniture and functional objects, for 20В years. In preview of the artistry and planning entailed in this yearвЂ™s event, myJewishDetroit recently met up with the Nordin brothers Erik and Israel вЂ“ designers of the massive menorah вЂ“ and Rachel Taubman-Glickfeld, event planner and expert вЂњpeople moverвЂќ recruited this year to help make the event bigger and better than ever.

#Light my menorah mama free#

Hosted by The Shul of West Bloomfield in partnership with Jewish FederationвЂ™s NEXTGen Detroit, Chabad of Greater Downtown Detroit and Quicken Loans, Menorah in the D is free and open to the public вЂ“ with fun for the family from 3 to 5 pm, lighting ceremony from 5 to 6 pm, and an After Glow with NEXTGen Detroit from 6 to 8 pm.ДЄs for all big events held in public spaces, many moving parts come seamlessly together to plan and stage Menorah in the D вЂ“ not the least of which is moving 2,600 pounds of steel from storage and hoisting it into the air to assemble the menorah. For the record, thousands of families of all faiths will come together to light up the night for the Sixth Annual Menorah in the D Chanukah Celebration in Campus Martius Park/Cadillac Square in the heart of downtown Detroit on Tuesday, December 27, 2016. It stands 26 feet tall, among the tallest menorahs in the country: a towering icon of the resurgence of Detroit and the Jewish communityвЂ™s ever-enduring connection to the city. Menorah in the D Lights Up the Holidays in the City By Vivian Henoch, Editor myJewishDetroit December 1, 2016