Grand menorah lighting to benefit Ukrainian Jewish orphanage, plus a free community-wide concert.
Chanukah Wonderland will return this year at the Gateway Center in West Bloomfield, bringing an array of fun-filled crafts and activities, holiday foods, and Chanukah light and joy for all.
Community members of all ages are invited to enjoy donut and latke making, a dreidel bounce house, Chanukah “Tot Town,” dance machines, a glow-in-the-dark oil quest, a hands-on olive oil making demonstration, a holiday boutique and much more.
The walls of Chanukah Wonderland will also be lined with the Chanukah artwork submitted for the JN Chanukah art contest.
Wonderland will be open to the public on Sundays, Dec. 18 & 25, from noon- 4 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 19 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The cost for admission is $8.
Chanukah Wonderland is located at 7290 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield (near Whole Foods).
Free Community Concert
A highlight event will be a free Community Chanukah Concert on Thursday,
Dec. 22, at 5 p.m., featuring acclaimed New York musician and DJ Mendy Piamenta and the Chicago-based Rogers Park Band, along with the Shabbatones.
The gathering will include a menorah lighting ceremony with the kindling of an 8-foot “Coinorah,” which will double as a giant charity box to benefit the Odessa Jewish Orphanage of Ukraine. Latkes, soup and donuts (along with a bounce house and crafts) will also be available to enjoy. This community event is presented in partnership between numerous synagogues and Chabad centers.
Reserve a spot (free of charge) at www.ChanukahWonderlandMI.com.
Parade of Love and Light
On Wednesday, Dec. 21, there will be a “Parade of Love and Light” in which cars will make their way through the Jewish Senior Life Campus, visiting the Hechtman, Meer and Fleischman facilities.
From there, the procession will make its way to Henry Ford Hospital to share festive Chanukah energy to the patients there. This program, now in its third year, is provided in partnership between Bais Chabad West Bloomfield and JFamily. Those interested in participating can reserve online at www.baischabad.com/parade.
Chanukah Wonderland is presented by the Sara Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center with the generous help of numerous sponsors and donors, including Mickey and Shelley Eizelman, Aidenbaum Schloff and Bloom PLLC and the Sam Bernstein Law Firm.
For all Chanukah Wonderland- related information visit www.ChanukahWonderlandMI.com or contact Rabbi Shneur Silberberg at rabbishneur@baischabad.com or (248) 855-6170.