50,773 Coins Fill Menorah

26 December 2011

A Menorah at a Chabad House in England was estimated at over $3,000 after community members filled it with coins.

Chabad Lubavitch of Buckhurst Hill in England has done it again with another amazing Menorah to feature at their Chanukah party this year. A Coin Menorah containing 50,773 coins totalling £2,009.95!

Built by Paul Benham-Whyte with the help of Desmond Solomon, the Menorah was highly anticipated by the community who over the last few years have seen a such Menorahs as a Whiskey Menorah, Can Menorah, and recycled phones Menorah.

Rabbi Odom Brandman, director of the Chabad Centre, said, “think of it as a massive Tzedakah box, it was a great way to allow lots of people to participate and be doing a Mitzvah at the same time!”

A campaign was launched a few months ago to collect in the many Tzedakah boxes that had been handed out by Chabad to the wider community over the last few years, many of which had not be emptied for a long time. A number of volunteers went around the community collecting the boxes. As always, a great team effort was needed to reach the huge target set and each Tzedakah box collected was carefully counted and a thank you note sent by Yoninah Shaw, shlucha to Chabad Buckhurst Hill.

Over 150 people came to the Annual Public Menorah Lighting on Sunday at the top of Queens Rd in the heart of Buckhurst Hill following which everybody was invited back to the Bedford House Hall where there were Arts & Crafts for the children, cotton candy, a bouncy castle, refreshments and live music provided by Levi Ehrentrei, a shliach to the Mechina in London and then the lighting of the Coin Menorah.

Participants were given the opportunity to buy bags of change to fill the last branches of the Menorah and then the honour of lighting the Menorah was given to Paul Benham-Whyte who designed and built the Menorah.