Millbrook Menorah aglow once again

MILLBROOK — Sunday, Dec. 5, was the last night of Hanukkah, and it was celebrated in the village of Millbrook this year with the lighting of all eight candles of the Menorah.

There were two Menorahs set up on the front lawn of the Thorne Building on Franklin Avenue for the holiday; one fully lit. Rabbi Hanoch Hecht, from the Rhinebeck Jewish Center, officiated as he has for many years as part of the holiday tradition. The event did not take place last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rabbi Hecht and his family brought doughnuts, latkes (potato pancakes) and applesauce to share with those who attended the ceremony, along with Hanukkah necklaces that lit up with tiny blue lights.

The joyous last night celebration, held at 4 p.m., also featured traditional Hanukkah songs and a brief telling of the story behind the holiday, of bringing light into the world and how it honors the oil that should have lasted only one day but miraculously lasted eight — until more consecrated oil could be brought to the Temple in Jerusalem.

The celebration is made possible each year by Adele and Sheldon Lobel and the Millbrook Chanukah Committee. Among the celebrants were Mayor Tim Collopy, Deputy Mayor Mike Herzog and his wife Mary Anne; Village Trustee Vickie Contino and Millbrook Business Association President Kevin McGrane.

The festivities continued afterward at Babette’s Kitchen with free hot drinks, latkes and doughnuts, as it has for years as part of the village’s Hanukkah celebration.

— Judith O’Hara Balfe

Rabbi Hanoch Hecht of the Rhinebeck Jewish Center, left, and local resident Sheldon Lobel sponsor the lighting of the Menorah in the village of Millbrook every year, along with the Millbrook Chanukah Committee. Photo by Judith O'Hara Balfe

One of the two Menorahs set up on the lawn of the Thorne Building; this one stood during all eight days of Hanukkah. Photo by Judith O'Hara Balfe

Rabbi Hanoch Hecht of the Rhinebeck Jewish Center, left, and local resident Sheldon Lobel sponsor the lighting of the Menorah in the village of Millbrook every year, along with the Millbrook Chanukah Committee. Photo by Judith O'Hara Balfe

Latest News

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Help Wanted

PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.

The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

To save birds, plant for caterpillars

Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.

Photo provided by Wild Seed Project

You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.

These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and the home for American illustration

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

L. Tomaino
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett

For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.

Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.

Keep ReadingShow less
Free film screening and talk on end-of-life care
‘Come See Me in the Good Light’ is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.
Provided

Craig Davis, co-founder and board chair of East Mountain House, an end-of-life care facility in Lakeville, will sponsor a March 5 screening of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” at The Moviehouse in Millerton, followed by a discussion with attendees.

The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.