Shabbat candles (Illustration photo: Israel Bardugo)
צילום: ישראל ברדוגו
Chabad California launches Friday Light campaign
West Coast Chabad purchases over one million candle packs, to distribute across California in massive campaign aimed to encourage Shabbat candle-lighting
LOS ANGELES – Chabad of California is spearheading a massive campaign to encourage Jewish women to light Shabbat candles.
The campaign to distribute Shabbat candles, first launched 33 years ago by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, is plunging ahead full force again after the organization purchased over one million candle packs, each containing a pair of candles, a wrist bracelet and a leaflet with prayers and information on Shabbat.
Candle gift packs come in Hebrew, French, Russian and English (Photo: Israel Bardugo)
In preparation for the "FridayLight" campaign, t-shirts were printed for the many volunteers who will hand out candles around California. A special website was also set up to provide information on candle-lighting times across the world.
Rabbi Ari Beitelman, an active member of Chabad California and the mastermind behind the project said the group floated a "test balloon" for the program last year, in which they distributed over 200,000 candle packets.
Shirts printed too (Photo: Israel Bardugo)
The test-candles were accompanied with information in English, but for the larger-scale campaign the organization has printed materials in Hebrew, French, Russian, and Spanish, Beitelman said.
"The campaign brings the words of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to the citizens of the world about the mitzvah of candle-lighting," Beitelman said.
"The responses we've heard thus far are simply heart-warming. The campaign across America has had dizzying success, and now we are turning to the whole world – we're busy lighting up the world," he said.
