Jessica Epstein, James Cordon, Elisabeth Ginsburg, Valerie Wilde Seiden, Charlie Breslin, an unidentified woman and Lily Ratish
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — Glen Ridgers ate their way through well over 300 donuts on the front lawn of Town Hall on Nov. 28 to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, the second time the borough has celebrated the holiday publicly. Glen Ridge Board of Education President Elisabeth Ginsburg lit the first candle on the Hanukkah menorah and kicked off the holiday celebrations.
“It’s such an important event because it proves that we’re a town of many people,” event organizer Charlie Breslin said in an interview with The Glen Ridge Paper at the lighting. “And we’ll all be back next week for the Christmas tree lighting. In a happy family everyone supports everyone else.”
Glen Ridge didn’t even have a Hanukkah menorah to light until last year; the ceremony idea came from residents James Cordon and Valerie Wilde Seiden. Cordon donated the menorah to be placed on the lawn on Bloomfield Avenue after 14-year-old Glen Ridge resident Lily Ratish also asked the borough council why the town didn’t have one.
“Now there’s a whole group of people involved,” Cordon said in an interview with The Glen Ridge Paper at the event. “I hope we hand off the torch and it keeps going. I was surprised that it had never been done before.”
Seiden got involved when an organizer of the Christmas tree lighting asked if her daughter could sing at that event.
“I struggled with it for a few days,” she said, about deciding whether to have her daughter sing at the event. “Then I thought the tree lighting isn’t a very inclusive event. When I said that, they said, ‘Let’s make it inclusive.’”
To be more inclusive, Seiden’s daughter sang a Hanukkah song at the tree lighting.
“I was so touched by that,” Seiden said. “There was an outpouring from a lot of people about not having a menorah. Even friends had no idea we didn’t have one. It’s really moving to see what’s happening here.”
As the first candle was lit, Cantor Jessica Epstein from Temple B’nai Abraham led a sing-along. Hanukkah gelt was handed out, and groups of people played dreidel on tables set up outside Town Hall. The lawn was packed with Glen Ridgers out to celebrate the first of eight nights of Hanukkah. After a period of almost two years when gatherings have been few and far between because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a welcome sight for Ginsburg.
“Glen Ridge, like every other place, needs a lot of light right now,” she said in an interview with The Glen Ridge Paper at the event. “It’s wonderful. It reflects the growing diversity of Glen Ridge, and you always want the community to come together.”
Glen Ridge is a small town, and a tight-knit one.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to see all these people step into this with us,” Seiden said. “It’s a lovely thing. It’s not just for Glen Ridge; everyone is welcome to come. But it’s a big deal for us. I feel a lot of pride for our little town.”
Photos by Amanda Valentovic
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