חנוכה צערעמאניא פין ליובאוויטש אין ק"י

Upstate New York in Orange County there's a Hasidic village called Kiryas Joel, which is inhabited almost exclusively by followers of the late Satmar rebbe, Joel Teitelbaum. I called Aaron Schreiber, an official in the village administrator's office, to ask if a place that is virtually 100 percent Jewish sets out a public menorah.

He seemed taken aback by the question and explained that as far as the Satmars are concerned, the menorah, which is a candelabra used to mark the eight days of Hanukkah, is ordinarily an indoor accouterment of the celebration. Most Jews believe that the candles should be placed near a window to proclaim the miracle of the holiday (the discovery of one day's worth of oil that burned for eight at the time of the rededication of the Temple in 165 B.C.) by sending light into the darkness.