The event will feature live music of classical Hanukkah songs, delicious donuts and other traditional Hanukkah snacks, as well as drinks.Complimentary Hanukkah menorahs and candles will be distributed for participants to light at home.

The legendary Roving Rabbis will be lighting a giant 6-foot Hanukkah Menorah on Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m., the 4th night of the eight-day Festival of Lights.

The event will feature live music of classical Hanukkah songs, donuts and other traditional Hanukkah snacks, as well as drinks.

Complimentary Hanukkah menorahs and candles will be distributed for participants to light at home.

According to a press release, this is projected to be one of the first ever public Hanukkah celebrations in Tyler, and there is expected to be a large number of participants joining the grand public Menorah lighting.

“The excitement about Hanukkah is truly amazing,” said Moshe Faygen, the young leader of the Roving Rabbis. “People are preparing to celebrate with family and friends, filling their homes with the light of Hanukkah, it’s really beautiful to see.”

The message of Hanukkah is all about spreading light regardless of religion or affiliation, Hanukkah is a universal holiday with a beautiful message for all ‘spread light wherever you can.’

Public menorah lightings are conducted outdoors and at night to convey a powerful message that ‘a little light can dispel a whole lot of darkness.’

In 1973, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, launched the Hanukkah awareness campaign. The Roving Rabbis’ public Hanukkah activities are a part of this global initiative.

The significance of the menorah facing the street, the Rebbe notes, is so that people passing by can really feel how the warmth and the light of Hanukkah is illuminating the outer environment and broader city.

From its inception in 1973, the Rebbe’s campaign has brought Hanukkah back into the general population and has since increased the awareness and practice of the festival, transforming what some had mistakenly assumed to be “a minor holiday” into a festival that signifies the public proclamation of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of light over darkness which has always been a foundation in American cultural and religious life.

Chabad-Lubavitch’s annual Hanukkah campaign has distributed millions of menorahs to Jews around the world, and erected thousands of public menorahs to share its message of light over darkness with humanity at large. This year’s Hanukkah campaign will be one of unprecedented light and joy, seeing Chabad reach eight million Jews in more than 100 countries.

This year, the City of Tyler will take part as an energetic crowd gathers on the street to bring to one and all the universal message of Hanukkah – that even in a world with so much pain, mourning, death and destruction, each attendee can be an ambassadors of goodness and kindness, since just a little light can chase away a lot of darkness.

There is a practical how-to guide and ways to discover the many layers of meaning available on the website, chabad.org. You can also find out more about Hanukkah on their website, bit.ly/ChanukahHanukkah.

Chabad will help bring the light and celebration of Hanukkah into homes everywhere by distributing approximately 64 million Hanukkah candles, more than 700,000 menorah kits, and 2.5 million holiday guides in 17 languages.

This year’s Hanukkah campaign comes amid a growing awareness of Chabad-Lubavitch’s indelible impact on Jewish life. Pew Research Center’s 2020 survey of Jewish Americans showed that 38 percent of all American Jews have participated in Chabad activities and services, of whom more than 75 percent do not identify as Orthodox.

While traveling through two states, five cities and countless Jewish homes, the group of seven Rabbinical students are spreading the message of hope and life through Giant Menorah lightings and meaningful Jewish encounters.

Rabbis Mendel Rapoport, Avrohom Berkowitz, Dovber Loufer, Moishe Faygen, Yisroel Lewis, Uziel Rubashkin and Levi Pariz will be traveling hundreds of miles this Hanukkah, stopping in Tyler, Waco, Abilene, Amarillo, Durango, Colo. and more.

In light of the recent rise of darkness and the increase of tension on the world stage, a few brave Rabbinical students have taken the initiative to do the impossible – to travel through countless cities with the intent of bringing a message of light and hope, calm and serenity to all.

The seven young Rabbis, aged 20 years old, are dedicated students who are chosen for their rabbinical proficiency and people skills, for the honor of assisting the faraway communities. They have packed their camper with suitcases of necessary Jewish items, including books, candle lighting kits, Mezuzahs, and kosher food.

Additionally, the Roving Rabbis will be hosting public Menorah lightings along the way.

“Our job is to find out what the community or individuals need, and help them get access to it,” said Rabbi Mendel. “Whether it’s ritual objects or information, we’re here to listen and serve.”

For some of the tourists visiting these cities, it is a pleasant surprise to meet young Chassidic Rabbis in an exotic mountain retreat. For others in rural communities, it is more about finding a connection and meeting another Jew in their area.

“While classes and communal evenings go a long way in educating people, it is the conversations we have one-on-one that have the greatest impact,” said Rabbi Moshe. “People who hear we’re in town approach us seeking advice on how to maintain or bolster their Jewish identity, especially where the Jewish infrastructure is small.”

The program was conceived by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, in 1943, and since has touched millions of Jews.