'Not in this alone': Hanukkah celebration brings community together

Revelers couldn't pack the park like last year for the annual menorah lighting and Hanukkah celebration hosted by the Chabad Jewish Center of Arlington Heights, so they packed the parking lot instead.

The third annual event moved from its usual home at North School Park this year and instead featured a drive-in concert in the parking lot of South Middle School.

After the performance by the six-piece Tum Balalaika Klezmer Band, Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes presented a Hanukkah proclamation to the community on behalf of the village board.

Rabbi Yaakov Kotlarsky of Chabad Jewish Center said more than 200 people came out in 60 vehicles.

"People today are so lonely and isolated and they need that connection, that connection to the rest of the community," he said. "They need to know that they're not in this alone and they're looking for ways to connect in a safe way, and this is a beautiful way to do that."

Hayes noted Arlington Heights' "City of Good Neighbors" motto and encouraged attendees to be a "point of light" for the community.

"We're a community of very strong religious faiths," he added. "Faith is very important to me, personally, and so I'm very happy to be a part of a community where people can practice their religion of their choice."