Imagine a menorah made with 3,500 Legos Duplo building blocks. The lighting of this 10-foot tall Lego menorah, constructed of thousands of Lego Duplo bricks, will be on the fourth day of Hanukkah. As totally nontraditional as it may seem, this colorful work of art will celebrate the most traditional of Jewish holidays – Chanukah.
Legos have been a favorite childrens' toy for many decades. In fact, it's hard to imagine a household without a box of Legos in the toy chest. Ever since the plastic blocks came out, kids have been building structures out of Legos. It's even become a competitive "sport" to see who can build the most elaborate ship, cities, the Taj Mahal, and even the Chrysler Building. It should come as no surprise then, that a huge Lego menorah would eventually be constructed.
On Monday, December 14th, students at the Chabad Center at Binghamton University in upstate New York, will light four candles on the Lego menorah, celebrating the Jewish tradition of the Festival of Lights. The "Grand Hanukkah Bash featuring Lego Menorah" is scheduled from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday in the Tillman Lobby of the old University Union.
For the past month, Chabad Center has been collecting hundreds of toys, and has netted over $4000 to be donated to Chai Lifeline, an international nonprofit organization headquartered in New York City that aids children with life-threatening or lifelong diseases. Rabbi Levi Slonim says, "We're always looking for something fun and exciting, but we're also looking to give something back to the community,"
The Lego menorah won't be around long though, as it's slated to be dismantled right after the lighting ceremony and packed into 30 boxes for shipment to Chai Lifeline.
The event can be viewed online at Jewish.tv.
Designed in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, the Lego Group is a Danish family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, and best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys. The popular plastic Lego toys inspired many various mediums to be created, including Lego movies, games, competitions, and four Lego-themed amusement parks. Interestingly, Lego bricks from 1958 still interlock with those made in 2009, despite numerous variations and Lego toy sets over the years.
For More Hanukkah Related Stories:
- Hanukkah 2009 Menus, Recipes Gearing Up for Sundown
- El Al Airline Serves Hanukkah Recipes To Attract Jewish Travelers – Article also includes Latkes and Sufganiot (jelly donuts) Recipes.
- Neil Diamond's A Cherry Cherry Christmas CD with The Chanukah Song
- Hanukkah Quotes to Celebrate and Inspire
Sources: www.chabad.org; wikipedia
Written by Donna Diegel
HULIQ.com
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