Senate Majority Leader Lights Menorah with Chabad

WASHINGTON, DC [CHI] — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada welcomed West Coast Chabad’s Rabbi Chaim Nochum Cunin and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Cunin for a pre-Chanukah celebration in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room of the United States Capitol. The Senator joined Chabad in a symbolic lighting of the center “Shamash” candle on the Menorah.

During the ceremony, the Senator was presented with an exquisitely handcrafted Menorah graced with Swarovski crystals, which he accepted on behalf of the People of Nevada. The Menorah will be prominently displayed throughout the Festival of Lights in the Office of The Majority Leader in the Unites States Capitol. After Chanukah, it will be on display at Chabad’s new community center and educational campus in Reno, Nevada. The Menorah presentation was inscribed with a quote from The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, that reads: “The tallest candle on the Menorah is the one that serves to kindle others.”

The ceremony took place on the 19th day of Kislev, the day that the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), was freed from imprisonment in czarist Russia in 1798. The event highlighted Senator Reid’s ongoing, leadership efforts to secure the freedom of the Schneerson library and archives from Russia, which include holy books and handwritten manuscripts by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.

In light of his efforts, the Senator was presented with a copy of Kehot’s new and revolutionary English Torah, published by Chabad of California, with an interpolated English translation and commentary based on the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Senator’s young cousin is presently studying for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah at Chabad of Reno, and he was excited to receive this book to help him better prepare for the special occasion.

West Coast Chabad serves the community with over 200 educational, outreach and social service centers in California and Nevada.