Nearly 18,000 people attended a tribute to the 15 victims of the Bondi Beach massacre in Sydney, Australia, at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center just days after last month’s shooting, and teens from Chabad Teen chapters in Long Beach and the Five Towns joined the Chabad Teen Network, known as CTEEN, in solidarity as they remembered those who died.
The tribute took place during halftime of the Dec. 18 Brooklyn Nets-Miami Heat game. It featured a short game played by CTEEN members, as well as the lighting of a giant basketball menorah watched by some 180 teens and their families.
The menorah was lit by 14-year-old Brooklyn native Eli Drizin, a nephew of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of two Chabad rabbis who were killed in the attack. After reciting the blessings and lighting the menorah, attendees turned the solemn ceremony into a celebration of Jewish resilience that drew a standing ovation from the arena.
The Nets roster includes two rookies from Israel, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf, whose presence has inspired young Jews with the message not to compromise their faith to achieve their dreams. That inspired the CTEEN players in the halftime game, who included Long Beach’s Dillon Weintraub.
The 10th-grader at Long Beach High School, who played point guard, said that the game was an opportunity to represent Judaism, and that lighting a menorah in a venue like Barclays showed the world that “we’re just like everyone else.”
“I think it’s important for Jewish people to be represented,” Weintraub said. “The more they see us, the more they can recognize that we’re people, too.”
Weintraub, who also plays lacrosse at Long Beach High, said he felt that the game presented a chance to showcase what Jewish boys and men can do in sports. “Sometimes Jewish people are overlooked when it comes to athletics,” he said, “especially for young Jewish males.”
Nassau County’s CTEEN chapter is part of an extensive international Chabad-Lubavitch youth organization that provides Jewish teens with social, educational, leadership and volunteer opportunities at local Chabad centers. With 842 chapters in 67 countries, CTEENs are empowered to become leaders in their communities through acts of kindness, social responsibility and Jewish learning, all inspired by a belief in positive change.
Eli Goodman, the leader of the Long Beach chapter, which is part of the Nassau chapter, was one of many Chabad leaders who felt it was necessary to make a stand on the global stage in the wake of the tragedy in Australia.
“Collectively, Chabad felt it was important to stand proud and focus on the positive,” Goodman said. “Our mission is to provide a nurturing environment where teens can learn about themselves through giving to others, and understand that they’re part of a group who share the same values, and same faith, just like everyone else.”
The Nets Hanukkah celebration builds on a tradition of Chabad menorah lightings at major sporting events that began in 1987 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, then known as Joe Robbie Stadium. CTEEN has organized ceremonies at Sunday Night Football games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. and Northwest Stadium, then known as FedEx Field in Landover, MD.
So when the organization decided on the NBA halftime show and made its request to Barclays, members felt that it was the perfect opportunity to showcase Judaism while adding a fun and creative element for teens and younger Jews alike.
“There’s always a sense of pride,” Goodman said. “This was more of a fun way to resonate with people.”
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the victims, their families and friends and the worldwide community,” the Barclay’s Center announcer said the Barclay’s Center announcer said after the menorah was lit.
The Dec. 14 Bondi Beach attack sparked a noticeable increase in attendance at public menorah lightings around the globe — including those in Long Beach and the Five Towns later that day. At a ceremony in Kennedy Plaza in Long Beach, Chabad of the Beaches Rabbi Eli Goodman praised the Long Beach community and city officials for standing with the Jewish community.
At Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst, Rabbi Zalman Wolowik, of Chabad of the Five Towns, emphasized the importance of standing strong, particularly in the face of tragedy. And in Hewlett’s Memorial Plaza, the Hewlett-Woodmere business Association and members of Chabad of Hewlett gathered in unity despite frigid weather.
Beyond public gatherings, the Five Towns held its annual car menorah parade on Dec. 16. Online, meanwhile, Jewish teens led grass-roots efforts such as the #LightForSydney and #ShareTheLights social media campaigns.
