A Love letter to the Town of Hudson on Chanukah 2020

‘How do I love thee, let me count the ways’ borrowed from Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Were it not for our ultra-observant health precautions, I’d be out in the streets this holiday season hugging the past and present Hudson mayors, counsellors, administrators, Hudsonites and even the strangers that ride through town.

Thank God that my ‘hugs’ are an attachment to near 50 ‘golden years’ of living as a visible Jewish Hudsonite who continues to receive love, strength and support from the community. The fact that husband Marcel Braitstein shares this story, is a blessing. Braitstein is a WW2 child survivor.

I do not know if my urge to write a love letter to ‘Everything Hudson’ is due to age, stage, Covid 19 environment, all of the above or something other. I do not want to miss the opportunity to hand over to Hudson what belongs to Hudson: the Hudson Chanukah Menorah story. Menorah is the Hebrew word for candelabra. The Chanukah holiday is also known as the festival of lights. In the seventies, when my children were young, Chanukah in Hudson meant visiting their classes at local schools to tell the Chanukah story. Fast forward. About eleven year ago a Chabad Jewish Community Centre and synagogue was established in St Lazare. The Chabad organization is known for lighting large outdoor electrical menorahs on Chanukah. The municipality that welcomed the Chabad Chanukah menorah event was the Town of Hudson.

Two years ago, Mayor Jamie Nicholls invited Hudsonite Marcel Braitstein to create a Chanukah menorah specifically for Hudson. We, (Marcel and I), like to describe the project as “a menorah by the people for the people”.

Braitstein is a sculptor. Braitstein accommodated the Chanukah lighting program within the virtue of a sculpture. Hence, we say it is ‘a sculpture-menorah’.

First and foremost, Braitstein’s sculpture is a work of art that has the capacity to operate as a menorah on Chanukah. It stands as evidence of a love story in Hudson. The storyline is about celebrating Chanukah and Christmas in Hudson. For the past nine years, a Chanukah Menorah and a Christmas tree stood side by side. The underlying theme is about loyalty and an unspoken commitment between the Christian town folks and their Jewish counterparts.

Braitstein explores the space between the two components of the sculpture Menorah.

 “How do I love thee, let me count the ways” said Elaine Steinberg

Community values, culture and history merge in Hudson sculptural Menorah

The sculptural menorah currently on exhibition in the heart of the Town of Hudson, Quebec is a testament not only to the artistic genius of its creator, Marcel Braitstein but also to the openness of the town to cultural diversity. Installed in front of the Stephen F. Shaar Community Center to celebrate the beginning of Channukah, the Jewish Festival of Light and participate in Hudson’s annual Festival of Lights in 2019, the outdoor sculptural Menorah returned in 2020 for a Covid-19 version of the annual event.

“It’s a reminder of the beauty and cultural diversity of our town,” said Mayor Jamie Nicholls. “It’s a work of art and not only a religious symbol expressing our shared values as a town without breaking the law,” he added referring to the recent passing of Bill 22 in the provincial legislature prohibiting the public use of religious artefacts.

The mayor noted the town is proud to have another Braitstein sculpture on display in front of the Hudson Village Theatre. “Marcel Braitstein’s talent has enriched the cultural landscape of Hudson,” Nicholls stated.

The 2020 exhibition of the piece was also the inauguration of its deconstruction by the artist. “What started as a classical eight branch Menorah was deconstructed by Marcel giving him the opportunity to explore the ascetic value of the space between the two pieces,” explained his wife, Elaine Steinberg. In effect, the central part of the sculpture containing the main light returned to its status as an independent structure with the two branches installed behind it. “He’s retelling the Hannukah story through the lens of his own story of the hidden child who survived the Holocaust,” she noted.

The sculptural Menorah is not on permanent exhibition at the moment. “We’ve been invited by the town to find a suitable location on town property for a more permanent installation,” said Steinberg adding, “It’s where it is now but we don’t know for how long.”

“We’re very proud to have the sculpture. It is part of our Festival of Lights each year,” said the mayor, “but I’m not certain when it will be moved.”