It was the first night of Chanukah, and more than 1,000 Jewish people gathered outside the Ritz-Carlton in Aruba. They danced on the white sand of Aruba’s beaches to Chanukah favorites with Noam Buskilla, an Israeli Jewish singer, as Chabad of Aruba lit a giant menorah on the seashore.
It was a scene replicated on more than a dozen Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, as crowds of Jewish people—vacationers as well as year-round locals—celebrated Chanukah at events organized by Chabad centers that dot the islands.
Julia Alberga has been to Jamaica more than 40 times. Her husband, Simon Alberga, comes from a family of Jamaican Jews who have called the island home for more than 300 years. When Rabbi Yaakov and Chaya Mushka Raskin arrived, says Alberga, “They brought a sense of Jewish life to the island.” Instead of lugging kosher food in suitcases and hoping not to run afoul of customs regulations, Alberga, who lives in London, England year-round, stops at Chabad in Montego Bay and picks up “all the kosher food I could possibly want” on the way to the villa her family owns on the island.
In Negril, Jamaica, Chabad hosted a concert by the Maccabeats—a popular Jewish acapella group. Julia and eleven family members made the four-hour drive from their villa to join the concert, and she says it was something she had never experienced before in 30 years of visiting the island. “It was such an incredibly special night,” she said. “The Jewish spirit created by the Raskins there—it was electric.”
Aaron Abuhatzeira was at the event as well, and it held special meaning for him and his family. Abuhatzeira lit the menorah in memory of his brother, Ariel, who passed away in Jamaica six years ago. “Rabbi Raskin was very instrumental in helping my family with arranging a traditional Jewish burial for my brother, which is not an easy task in Jamaica,” Abuhatzeira told Lubavitch.com. “It’s very comforting to know he’s there to welcome you or any Jew who happens to be in Jamaica. He’s there if you need kosher food, a place for the High Holidays, mezuzas, tefillin, Torah study—you name it.”
On island after island, Chabad centers have been established, providing Jewish tourists and locals with Jewish needs and creating a space for Jewish life. On the island of Bonaire, Chabad of nearby Curaçao held a menorah lighting at a cruise ship terminal for disembarked passengers, while on Curaçao itself, they welcomed more than 300 to a Chanukah celebration.
In the Cayman Islands, the menorah lighting took place at the Caribbean Club, while in Barbados, it was at the Hilton. In St. Lucia, the menorah was lit right on the beach.
On the North Atlantic island of Bermuda, where a new Chabad center recently opened, the first public menorah lighting in the island’s history took place, with the Governor of Bermuda, Ms. Rena Lalgie, in attendance.
On the islands of Turks and Caicos, menorah lightings took place nearly every night of Chanukah, with crowds gathering at resorts, hotels and beaches around the island to celebrate the holiday together.
“I have told everyone since I came back home all about it,” Alberga said. “There are very special moments that Chabad brings to an island like Jamaica–where there are very few Jews–that I’m incredibly grateful for.”
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