Night One of Hanukkah to Kick Off with First-Ever Sunday Night Football Menorah Lighting The New York Giants and Washington Commanders game Sunday will include several odes to Jewish traditions.
By Sam Silverman Edited by Jessica Thomas
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More than one first will be celebrated on the first night of Hanukkah this year.
The first-ever Sunday Night Football menorah lighting will happen during the New York Giants and Washington Commanders game on December 18, which is also night one of the eight days of Hanukkah 2022.
The game will be held at FedEx Field, outside Washington, D.C., where CTeen International, or Chabad Teen Network, and Chabad of Maryland will orchestrate the lighting ceremony after the first quarter.
According to The Jerusalem Post, a menorah was specially designed for the event and will sit on the concourse overlooking the stadium, and spectators will get to see the lighting over the jumbotron.
A Jewish teen will reportedly recite the blessing and will be joined by members of CTeen International and Chabad of Maryland. In addition to the lighting, there will be a menorah parade to the stadium and Hanukkah-themed tailgates with latkes and jelly doughnuts.
A menorah lighting will also take place at the LA Chargers versus Tennessee Titans game the same day, according to CTeen's website.
Although reports say this is the first-ever menorah lighting at a Sunday night game, a similar Hanukkah event was held at a Miami Dolphins game in 1987, according to a resurfaced YouTube video.
Aside from the holiday, the high-stakes game, which will determine which team heads to the playoffs, falls during America's most-watched TV timeslot and is set to draw a large audience.
Of the 80,000 spectators in the stands, 10,000 will be Jewish, according to the Post.
"With 80,000 fans watching from the stands and upwards of 18 million tuning in from home, the prime-time game's first public menorah lighting spreads Hanukkah's light at a time when popular culture reels from antisemitism," Chabad of Maryland said in a statement to The Jerusalem Post.
Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky of CTeen International echoed this sentiment, noting the effect of antisemitism on young Jewish people. "There are Jewish teens who are feeling uneasy lately," he said. "To see a fellow teen light the menorah during a major football game will help them hold their heads high as proud Jews and be that little bit of light that illuminates the darkness."
