Despite temperatures dropping as low as 20 degrees with an 8-degree wind chill, more than 100 University of Maryland students gathered at McKeldin Mall to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, blanketing the front steps with black winter coats and jackets. Held since 1995, the lighting ceremony includes a 10-foot-tall menorah, with Jewish University of Maryland women’s basketball player Yarden Garzon lighting the first candle this year.
The event was hosted by Chabad at the University of Maryland, with Rabbi and Director Eli Backman in attendance. A “very cold” Eli Backman, he joked.
“Honestly, I was happy with the turnout,” Backman said. “With everything going on and the cold weather, I didn’t know what to expect, but the community showed up. It showed a desire to connect, to be together, and to celebrate.”
Beyond turnout, Backman said the gathering aimed to strengthen students’ sense of identity and resilience, one of Hanukkah’s internal messages.
“We say we’re proud. We’re not just getting together for Memorial. We’re getting together to celebrate, to make positivity, to light a light, to do a mitzvah together, to sing a song together. And that, I think, helps everybody develop their internal strength,” said Backman.
The celebration came shortly after reports of deadly antisemitic violence in Sydney, Australia, during Hanukkah festivities. In light of those events, Backman said the ceremony had a larger police presence than usual.
“Something that happens in Australia affects us, and we’re going to respond in a good way, in a way that makes a difference,” Backman said. “I think that’s important for us to hear and feel, and for the world to see.”
University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines also attended the ceremony and expressed hope for a stronger year ahead for the Jewish community.
“This is a time to bring our Jewish community together, to celebrate the year and to stand in unity against the hate that’s out there,” said Pines.
Freshman Information Science major Zach Levin was confident that students would show up despite the cold conditions and shared the president’s sentiments.
“This is something we’re very passionate about, and this is a big time where we need to really be together as one big community,” said Levin.
Following the menorah lighting, a lively crowd of students joined in song and dance, singing Jewish classics such as “Oh Hanukkah” and “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel.”
Students who couldn’t brave the cold congregated inside McKeldin Library to warm up, a familiar scene, according to Backman, who joked that attendees basically occupied the library lobby during the first menorah lighting in 1995.
Those who attended were treated to a buffet of traditional Hanukkah cuisine, including hot latkes, donuts, and, for this particular event, bitcoin-themed Hanukkah gelt. Large quantities of hot cider were also available, which Rabbi Yuri Namdar, a junior rabbi at Chabad, recommended as a way to help students stay warm.
Menorah lightings like this welcome all students at the University of Maryland, even non-Jewish ones.
Freshman Agricultural Science and Technology major Ella Campbell was one of those students, attending the event in support of her friends.
“A lot of my friends on campus are Jewish, and I came in support of them to celebrate and take part in their culture,” said Campbell.
The celebration lasted for a couple of hours, students sang and danced with one another, ate good food, and even took home their own mini menorahs. Over time, many dispersed into the cold. Rabbi Namdar reflected on the tragic events in Sydney and the deeper meaning behind the gathering at McKeldin. He used candles as a symbol for each Jew on Hanukkah, all carrying the responsibility to bring light to the world.
“Imagine you were the only Jew in the world, what kind of candle would you be?” said Namdar. “Especially in light of those whose candles are no longer with us, we have to be even brighter candles.”
