The eight nights of Hanukkah start tonight, December 7th! That means menorahs all over New York City will soon be aglow. From Brooklyn to the Bronx, we’ve rounded up the most exciting giant menorahs that will light up throughout the next eight evenings!
1. Grand Army Plaza, Manhattan
The World’s Largest Menorah can be found at Manhattan’s Grand Army Plaza in front of the Plaza Hotel. Certified by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006, the menorah stretches up 32 feet, the maximum height a menorah is allowed to be. What puts this menorah over the limit is the extended shamash, or middle candle, which brings its total height to 36 feet.
The golden menorah was designed by artist Yaakov Agam and first lit up in the 1970s. According to a sign at the site, Agam’s design was inspired by drawings created by the Rambam (Maimonides) of the original menorah in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. It weighs a whopping 4,000 pounds and is assembled on-site every year.
2. South Street Seaport
Artist and Chasidic Rabbi, Yitzchok Moully created a site-specific menorah for the South Street Seaport in 2022. The 15-foot stainless steel menorah is meant to evoke the image of a ship’s sail. Moully has been creating Hanukkah-inspired art for years in different cities across the country. He hopes to continue revealing a new creative menorah design every year moving forward. The new nautical Seaport Menorah will be lit every year on the Heineken Riverdeck at the north side of Pier 17, overlooking the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge.
3. Brooklyn Grand Army Plaza
Before the Manhattan menorah was officially designated as the world’s largest, it had a competitor at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza. The Brooklyn menorah is the borough’s largest, topping out at the highest permissible height of 32 feet. The giant menorah towers over Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Public Library. The lighting of the menorah is accompanied by live music and hot latkes!
4. Bowling Green
The first menorah lighting at Bowling Green took place in 1997. That year, a menorah designed by Arturo DiModica, sculptor of Wall Street’s Charging Bull statue, was put on display. The menorah was made of bronze and reached 15 feet high. Real candles topped its 8 posts. Unfortunately, when the menorah was to be lit the next year, it was missing!
The lost menorah remained a mystery for over twenty years until it popped up on the auction block in Long Island in 2019. A battle over who rightly owned the menorah ensued. The original sculpture never returned to Bowling Green, but it was replaced in the early 2000s and Hanukkah festivities continue at this historic downtown site every year!
5. New York Stock Exchange
Outside the New York Stock Exchange Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza are all represented. You’ll find the menorah and kinara tucked under the brightly lit Christmas tree on Broad Street. Hanukkah celebrations at the NYSE on Monday, December 11th will feature a performance by Rapper Nissim Black. This year, Kwanza begins on Tuesday, December 26, and ends on Monday, January 1, 2024.
6 & 7. World Trade Center
There’s not just one, but two giant menorahs at the World Trade Center! At the PATH Station, you’ll find a large white menorah lit up in partnership with the Port Authority WTC and Bris Avrohom of Hillside, New Jersey. This glowing symbol of the Jewish holiday debuted in 2019. Another giant menorah at the World Trade Center pays homage to the Twin Towers.
Designed by Michael and Bonnie Berkowicz, the menorah features a piece of structural steel from the towers. You can see the menorah inside the Oculus, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub designed by Santiago Calatrava. You can see another exciting example of Calatrava’s work at the nearby St. Nicholas Church. The original structure of this Greek Orthodox congregation was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. Calatrava’s new designs recently opened, after decades of work and delays.
8. Gantry Plaza State Park
The Gantry Plaza State Park menorah might have the best view of all New York City’s giant menorahs! Located along the East River in the Hunters Point section of Long Island City, the giant illuminated menorah stands in front of a stunning view of the midtown Manhattan skyline. As you enjoy snacks and music, you can admire the shining lights of the city from the Empire State Building and the United Nations Building, as well as from the glowing menorah!
9. Bell Monument in Riverdale
Under the shadow of the historic Bell Monument in Riverdale in the Bronx, a giant menorah will be set aglow on December 7th for the first night of Hanukkah. Of course, there will be donuts, latkes, and live music, as well as a parachute dreidel drop!
10. Bryant Park
Chabad of Midtown will light multiple large menorahs around Manhattan over the next eight nights. There is one in Bryant Park, one in Times Square, and a giant one made of ice in Pershing Square near Grand Central Terminal. You can see the full list of locations here.
Next, check out 11 Alternatives to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree
