"My own Chanuka Miracle!" | Rabbi Chaim Hanoka | The Farbrengen Podcast with R' Levi Ginsberg | Ep.1

I think you're the first person I met whose name is actually Hanukkah I called the mayor's office and I asked the mayor to intervene and the mayor tried what motivates you at that point there was no time to get another Ball but a reporter was coming in like less than 2 minutes literally within 5 minutes every major TV station in La is calling me to come down for a scoop you know like in a personal scoop they want I'm like this TR my head is starting to spin okay so Fox News called me up Channel 11 Channel 9 Channel 7 okay okay you come at 9:00 you come at 9:30 they all wanted you know like their own scoop at some point honestly I couldn't remember who I told what when they should come so within an hour the house parking lot was like a media frenzy they come with their Vans and their big like 30ft antennas cuz they're broadcasting live [Music] brand new heart of the press episode podcast nonstop feedback mention mention in the excited and to be honest surpris excit fullt message whatspp Thom critique comments suggestions a text a message a WhatsApp 3475 2 42278 and I look forward to hearing from you WhatsApp statuses behind the scenes exclusive access 227 podcast what's up status who guy inam hun by for episode guy for CN zoom on video conference unbelievable story sponsors episode is sponsored let's get [Music] started I think you're the first person I met whose name is actually kanuka that's that's your last name right that's my last name Boni how do you pronounce it in englishes Kana like like the holiday Kana okay the rav part sounds good but otherwise yes where did the name come from um I come from a mixed marriage My Father's Side was faric my mother's side ashkenazic was cl yeah exactly so my father's side came from Greece originally from salonica my grandfather was born in salonica Greece so they were fared them from originally from Spain got kicked out I don't know 500 years ago and at some point made the ways into Greece and as far back as anybody can trace it the last name has been khaka they came to America Talis Island they anglicized it to hanoka cuz I guess the guy couldn't WR hanuka whatever it was so what do you do like what what's your regular occupation like what do you do 5 or from morning to night it's like 9 to 9 and all the way around the clock what do you so what do you do 247 24/7 I run the kabad house in Pasadena California Pasadena yes which is about 30 40 minutes from La if that gives you some Geographic P perspective what does it actually mean to run the kabas like what does it entail I started I started the kabad outside of my house I didn't know anybody honestly when I moved to Pasadena I didn't know so I didn't know how to get there I actually bought a map this is preg GPS you bought map I bought a map cuz I honestly had never been to Pasadena I had seen signs cuz I lived in La I se signs for Pasad I just never had actually been there driven there so I bought a map to figure out how to get to Pasadena I drove down there uh after it was decided that we were going to move there and um I basically if you want to know the whole dog and pony show how we started I can give it to you theer bottom line is I drove down there I went to they used to have phone books back in the day I don't know if you pH books phone book you know so I went to the phone company to get a yellow pages of hotel and basically start calling hotels in area to find a room to start for a sh Kipper and hotel hotel I didn't live there yet I was living in La so I wanted to start something for a shenu Kipper I the kiter rented a hotel room at the Hilton they worked with they asked me how many people are coming I had no clue cuz I didn't know anybody I literally did not know I was so in Passad so how are you expecting people to come so I ended up buying a Jewish quote unquote Jewish mailing list of some company in Milwaukee I think it was that wasn't as Jewish as they made it sound like and I put an ad in some throwaway paper in the in the neighborhood and honestly over as Kipper we had like a 100 different people showed up each one saying I had no idea people 100 different people not all at one time you Kipper we maxed out probably at about 75 R 50 you know but this is your first where I walked in but I had no idea it was I had no clue how many people would show up because as I said I knew nobody literally I mean not a soul before he moved there and each person sentiment when they walked in was I can't believe there's so many Jews living in Pasadena Pasad has always been known as a very city city okay but no longer gousy CU now now we have we've been there for a while but yes there's a CL like on every corner it's a religious City but not necessarily known for its Jewish religion I guess per se what made you decide that you want to go on I always had Ana to go on my father actually was a physicist he was not a rabbi my father was about back he my father came in 19 yes 1961 to he was from the first I guess he called the poster children of kabad on who was on campus he was a student at the time and theba gave him a tremendous amount of personal attention but how did he get to know the in the beginning the first place he was in Penn State doing his graduate work okay and the Reb sent up a group of B if I'm correct I think it was the first time there sent up a group of B like like a shabbaton on campus who was through a connection with the hill Rabbi at the time on campus who had a sh RAB Klein mclin they met earlier and my father was I guess someone intrigued by this whole thing was all foreign to him but he was searching like any good Jewish college student was you know his uh I guess conservative background when he grew up he had a bar mitzvah in a conservative Temple or SCH as my father would put it despite the fact that he had the bar mitzvah he became from those were his own words quote verbatim okay okay so yeah um you know he had read extensively he was an academic you know thoroughly was I gu thly versed in Spinosa and always all them quotequote the Masters Martin bber Spinosa and and a bunch of other isms that he read through okay I'm not familiar with those little things but fine whatever be better be may he was very intrigued with it s he ended up coming to CR height was a general with a bunch of students from so from B he got in touch with they told they born to Heights he threw the hill he stayed in touch with the hill rabbis I'm not sure who arranged the if it was the hill Rabbi who thre the B the B one of them was I mean at the actually he might have been married is the of Philadelphia of Philadelphia yeah I mean and involed many other correct he's sit at the helm of many so my father ultimately took a gap here making long story short learned in 770 for a year much to the my grandparents who thought he lost his mind completely because he's going for his doctor he's going to beet Dr hanoka for you know for aaric mother this was like as far as she was concerned he invented the combus engine you know what I mean she couldn't believe that her sons are getting a PhD my grandar now now he's a 77 now he's a b in 770 it was definitely a difficult year the re gave him a tremendous amount of encouragement it's a little Beyond The Pale of this then subsequently he ultimately spent the year the rean Cy goes back to finish his degree um my fall actually wanted to become a hillo rabbi at the time and the reab went like this to him and the and told him with three letters next to his name PhD he'll do more for yish guide than become a hillo rabbi and he'll do more for yish guide with a PhD then becoming a hello Rabbi becoming an official so my father could not understand it because he wanted to stay in Yeshiva he wanted to get sm at some point and the rebba was emphatic that he goes back which was cont contrary to typically the Reb's approach to college but in this case he insisted my father goes back to the extent he offered the loan him money if he needed for student loans he didn't need it in the end he had a fellowship but the rebba offered to want to make sure it's going to work wow so he went back I was actually born in State College Pennsylvania before he got his PhD my parents got married my mother was born in Poland before the war came after the Holocaust or she end up in Siberia took the tour basically Siberia saman DP camps Etc but they met New York and then I was born in State College he got his pH you born in college on schas already my father wasn't a former he was a kind of a grad student in Penn State right so what so that that was what made you decide that you wanted to launch as well no what as well but that that's I grew up in a household where schas was very important to my father why my parents I guess because he felt a tremendous connection if you will to what the Reb stood for and what the Reb's ideas were which was well first for most spish gu All Around the World in ways which were unmanageable I mean you didn't see on the college campus back 1961 62 seeing guys with beers was unheard of you know such a thing didn't exist and there was really in need at the time for many Jews who were searching I mean it only got exacerbated I guess the late ' 60s you know with Woodstock and whatever it was in the 70s there were thousands tens of thousands of Jews looking for meaning sadly many of them were looking at different locations different addresses and the Reba was emphatic of trying to attract as many of these Jews back to to their own yish guy to towards theirs and he at times was a lone voice in many of the approaches the rebba took they weren't popular the rebba was a lone voice at the time yes in in many cases it was not a popular thing uh so this so this this message of bringing yish gu to the world was something that spoke to your to your father tremendously so as a Bak when I was a little older so I went obviously I TR I was part of theab Peace score system for laab better term where I traveled fairly extensively America is visiting communities all around the world um in many places which today now have SCH in those days they did not is pretty much a a a a program for 770 correct to go out for different y specifically or the spend the summers in my Cas sum in places even when there's not an official establishment but to reach out to the Eden in in every kind of city and and bring you this guy to them correct so I spent I was you that program yes I was in Alaska like five times and all kinds of cities there as yeah before RAB Greenberg who's a there now he's not much older than I um and same thing in Scandinavia and various other countries I find it interesting I know you know some people take it for granted that a could be involved in programs as like in a way like a like a full taking on that kind of is a it's not a not an everyday thing or is it no it's not but it's a very regimented program there was certain stipulations that I've had in place first and foremost you never went alone The Reel is insistent you always went with another guy which makes sense you know you watch over each other you're going out to place all around the world kind of asish you know you don't know who what when or where and you also had to get fire before before you went to nigla and it wasn't learning you have to you have to geted you had to have it settle from n from the administration of Yesa that you pass you and then you were given quote unquote the license to go it was not just a fly by night oh I want to go see this country let's go check this out didn't work that way wow so pretty much you you grew up in that home and then you so we always had people like a lot of academics in my house and my father was a physicist he was licher physicist which in it of itself was an anomaly to many people it's like how can you be a a well-known physicist and believe in six days of creation literally and and my father took the Reb's approach and took it very seriously he wrote on it actually wrote articles spoke publicly lectured Etc on the reash specifically about the you know the the creation of the world Evolution and more the Big Bang or whatever well now on a day-to-day basis what is your running the kabalas involve like what kind of what kind of actual jobs does that include okay this point baram we have seven schlam in my area already I'm not there alone anymore so it's grown wow so I have and these are seven that you brought down well myself included so six others yes so I am responsible for all the finances of the mo which wow growing growing how do you fund seven kabat families you f raise on a regular basis from largely from my community not exclusively but mostly at from a that that you've got in touch with over the years yeah I've been here for almost 30 years so it's and they become very involved in the in theab and they want to support it yeah I mean there are other people as well who don't live in Pasadena there's people that travel through also that have AAR for whatever it may be with people there for various reasons but that I mean that's that's kind of like a daily I'm sure you're very you're very busy and uh I very would certainly appreciate that you making the time for this um especially yeah what sorry I mean beyond that there's there's counseling there's visiting people I mean I'm not lacking for what to do on a daily basis and I wake up in the morning say what do I have to do today have nothing going on has not happened in many decades well it's a big big to fund raise for seven families to to be giving shum to do counseling and all that kind of helping and support that you do what motivates you what motivates me is I'm a firm believer in the fact first and foremost that has a had has a particular Vision which I'm privileged to be part of and that is his it was a novel concept this notion of sending out young couples to the middle of nowhere just to start from nothing there was no infrastructure no sh mik no koser garnished and yet be to be able to bring you know could be hundreds or thousands of people back to yish depending where you live in and of itself to me is worth everything I mean granted I could have done many other jobs quote unquote had I wanted to when I was finished with K but this is what spoke to me I the the should I get on a personal on a self selfish note is irreplaceable it's a hard job it's a demanding job it's not a job I don't see so the word wrong word to use it's a light commitment it's a lifestyle I live it day in day out it doesn't matter where I am geographically so I'm in F Heights right now it's true but just because I'm here doesn't mean my phone's in constantly ringing I'm dealing with things in Pasadena I am I mean mean anywhere in the world I'm connected to some way shape or form but this is what it is why I sign up for and to me it's tremendously gratifying to be able to help people and trans transform people's lives there there more right now before khaka it's probably a busy time for you isn't it a little bit a lot of bit what are you planning at Kaneka we have a program like every night of Kaneka honestly every day of Hanukah we have public lightings in front of City Hall in the malls two malls uh we have a big manur pre through downtown lighting for those who don't know is a is a typical program that kabad does in many many different cities Across America where you you build you set up a massive T manura correct and you make an event that you make a public manura lighting and you give up Manas to the people that come and you give up donuts probably with white musicas I mean it's a whole it takes prum at a whole new level doesn't yes but this was the Reb's genius so to speak of pis pises I mean it was was an unconventional thing to do when it first started in some people's eyes it may still be unconventional but nonetheless that Reba was very much uh a fan or encourages strongly so we do it like any other kabad house does it I mean you see them around Brooklyn maybe it's a little more common to see them in Brooklyn but other places see around the world around every Plaza you see the circle right um so you had up Story one time with one of these Manor lightings don't you we had an old kanuka Miracle so as you know my last name is kanuka it's a holiday it really speaks to me more perhaps than many other holiday not the other ones are not important but this one you know cuz your name is khah my last name is Kaneka I mean those two 2005 a few weeks before we we had basically had done a manura lighting in the mall mall was called poo Colorado it's like the main mall in my area big it's a decent sized Mall yeah in Pasadena and um we had done a lighting there for a number of years beforeand then I called a few weeks before Kana I called the general manager just sort of like Bea to a large degree that we're coming back and this is the DAT we're coming you you you call them every year I well I had to arrange it I mean it wasn't like a given I just can't walk I don't own them Mall not yet anyway way okay eventually eventually so I called this woman her name was Colleen I called her up and she says to me I'm sorry Raab but this year we can't do it this year we can't do it yeah I was like why not she says well the mother company of the mall the one who owns them Mall can I see the name on screen I that was it's the company that owned all these properties inclusive of this mall in Pasadena I don't know if you I it's a little disparaging to them the whole story okay whatever you want it's a true story it's well you know what I mean it's not a secret right so they decided they didn't want any religious displays on their malls I was like but we did it last year the year before same company owned it says listen H this is the general manager and she says I I can't do anything it's some mother company in Columbus Ohio if I remember correctly and they didn't want it l so one year they decided after doing the manur lighting day every year they decided minished minished so I went down to her office and I tried to implore her and explain to her that this is an issue that's been fought in Supreme Court with Pittsburgh versus I don't remember whom it was fought by natl in the Supreme Court back in the 80s I don't know if you remember the story and other places in the lit all over the place I'm talking I'm talking it's not happening I said to I don't understand you have a 30 foot not 50 ft from your office outside that's not religious she says no that's not religious that's festive I say festive ah and they call Herm tree though it's you want to call her a festive tree I said if that's the case the minur is also festive I have a festive minur you have a festive tree which she says no no minur is identifiably Jewish it's religious the tree is just festive it's I'm talking till I'm bleue in the face not happening I'm kind of bumed out honestly because I had no place else to do it so I started calling any other place in town I can think of to try to arrange a program you right away you right decided that there's nothing to do about it I tried to try she made it clear it's not going to happen it was like you know blow with an olive that's it so right away de side of the case to AC whatever the next day I I tried here and there I actually called well no it wasn't cuz I called the mayor's office and I asked the mayor to intervene and the mayor tried they the mayor was a non-jewish man very nice guy and it bothered him tremendously but he couldn't do anything because it's private property doesn't belong to the city so he's a mayor of the city for city property is one thing it's private property he he tried but I tried from other people to put pressures n this just wasn't happening I called every place I can think of in Pasadena to try to Aras a place to make the lighting each place I call for for different reasons I was styed it didn't work do it does it usually a smooth process to put up a Min these big places no I mean it's it's Unique is not they're not used to singing this so you know you have to figure out how to make it out at this point yes they've seen it for 30 years already but at the time it was wasn't that common so I tried this place that place every place I turn to it's too late she can help you everybody had different excuse but it wasn't happening I was really bummed out and I you I well beforehand honestly I sat down in my office and I really tried ad I I called every place I was just really down and out and I I have a big picture theab in my office and I basically had a conversation I said reab this is this is your house this is your Pula Pro I tried everything I can and if the re wants to make it happen then need to pull strings above and make it happen I don't know I don't know this is exactly the conversation went and had a conversation with whatever I did I had PA I going to talk to I'm I'm I'm the re is a general I'm a soldier if you have a problem and no one else is listening you go to the general so I you knowas I couldn't write in so I just that's that was I poured out my heart to the other okay it happens to been there was a picture of my office you can do it any way you want this is what happened so I called my mush at the time RAB and I said to him this is the situation I've tried tried tried I have no place to do it my only option is kab's parking lot which at the time by all means was lasting glorious okay was half paved half dirt you know we were red doing things it didn't look nice but I said I would do it there just as a protest like is it because they're not letting us do it it the all we're doing we're stuck doing he says it's okay that's that's what it was we mail out a flyer printed it up whatever it may be grand minora lighting kabat house whatever address lockers Donuts like the whole party I wasn't happy about it honestly but I had no choice is what it is so the night before UT kiss slave the same same day now okay I was teaching a uh I was teaching girls high school I teach her once a week so I'm sorry I was teaching a jli class was like a Jewish learning Institute adult education class in kab house after I finished the class I said to the people who came I said you know this is the story that's going on with the mar why don't you express your outrage you know I don't know called the newspapers cour you know was you said this to who to the people sitting at the class at the shear you give a Shear I give a Shear after the shear I told them what's going on with the Bora situation and we're stuck with doing it in kab's parking lot and I said why don't you express your outrage you know what I mean how talk in the malls not allowing us to do it I didn't know what the reason was so one woman incidentally her name is Mrs cunan unrelated to Rob K from California actually yeah that was your name Mrs cunan or Miss cunan uh I didn't know this but she I contacted one of the newspaper the pad local newspaper called Pasad Star news and on I was teaching girl High School teach once a week get a phone call after class hi recing the pass Star News would you be available for a an interview and a photographer to come down I'm like ah sure no problem I inter interview the come down with the reporter house and the photographer to hear about the story to hear about the story it like a scoop it was right before kanah already this okay it was also like December 21st 2 I mean it's close to their I don't remember exactly English date somewhere around there I zip back from La I come to K house I now to bring out the manura that be lit at the mall weighs like 1,000 pound it's made out of steel it's not easily transportable and we had it stored in the garage now I needed a prop for the you know coming with a photographer but there was no way I'm going to get it out wasn't even shy so I have smaller like 6ft Manas that we light in other areas in stores what have you A Yank went out of the garage it's dusty F day sitting there a whole year I'm finally trying to clean it off and I'm looking for bulbs to put it in there I can't find bulbs so life for me I'm looking finally I find a shopping bag that Su B the year before I just chucked a bunch of bulbs in there God forbid they should have been wrapped like in paper or something toilet Pap garnished so half of them are broken and then this I was hoping some would work so I finally find nine that are not broken to put them in all the can the lights plus the shamish I screw I plug it in I screw them in and sure enough one doesn't work at that point there was no time to get another bulb the reporter was coming in like less than two minutes I'm like this is it is what it is does it look nice you know you have the shamish is lit and then seven out of eight are lit on the bottom so I speak to the reporter outside your inside I indoors indoors so I I expressed my outrage okay that was the key word expressing my outrage it this do seems to be unfair they have a CRM tree they say it's not you know it's not religious it's festive right give my whole Spiel fine you know just because you get interviewed doesn't mean it goes into newspaper so the next morning I'm walked into shakas at 6:30 and there used to be a newspaper stand around the corner from kabas from the Pasar news I I peaked in the window the standing sure enough the entire first page the front of the page is a big picture of me about the manura with a whole long article about what's going on and what's the caption it was like genius the caption is manura lights out and you see one bulb is p and not lit I'm like can't make this what are the odds manura lights on it just played perfectly because you can see talk there's one bulb does not burn anyway I'm like pretty pleased that's like wow I mean who knew I'm not exactly the big media personality but you know made front new front front page news I finish shakas within I don't know 20 minutes of finish shakas I get a phone call from the largest uh radio news station and like it used to be 1010 Linds in New York so this is 1070 KX 107 in La it's a big Market they called me up they heard about this thing can they do a live interview on the radio um you know 8:23 and whatever say I said sure no problem so I'm in my office and what do they want to hear from you they want to hear me express my outrage you know what I'm saying want to hear what's going on my my perspective is to what's going on so again I express my outrage a lot of outrage going on okay by the way I I think you outrage the one time in the whole T where it's important the Alaba says two words should be Express the out well yes true when we see you see you see you got express your outrage so I was expressing my outrage okay against the Clipper whatever it was so I do my spiels like 30 seconds 402 slot I got literally within 5 minutes every major TV station in LA is calling me to come down for a scoop you know like a personal scoop they want I'm like this time my head is starting to spin okay so it's Fox News called me up Channel 11 Channel 9 Channel 7 okay you come at 9:00 you come at 9:30 they all wanted you know like their own scoop at some point honestly I couldn't remember who I told what when they should come so within an hour the Kat house parking lot was like a media frenzy they come with their Vans and their big like 30 foot antennas cuz they're broadcasting live okay walking from truck to truck hi this is so and so broadcasting live from Hab pad with Rabbi ha Monica and I exess my outrage again I a lot of outrage going on that day from one to the next okay and they're showing this live on their Market you know all their various stations La is a big station I mean it's a big Market all said and done I didn't know at the time but the same station sent trucks down to the mall to interview Shoppers again it's like December 22nd it's like the busiest season shopping season for them and they're telling the Mall shoppers that the mall is refusing to allow the Jews to like the minor they have a crossb tree what do you think about it and most of the Shoppers apparently were incense saying if that's the case we're taking our shopping elsewhere there's another Mall about s miles away Westfield mall we're going to Westfield they said if the mall doesn't let them in it's not right just go go they are goam they're straight up goam it's the go City and I didn't know this was happening so in the meantime the shopkeepers are watching this live in their own stores in the mall and they're like what are you out of your mind I mean they're losing money is the busiest season for them because they have some Shas in their heads that they won't let L Mona so they started pressuring the general manager and B the mother company unb notes to me I didn't know this whole story is happening they also sent a bunch of TV trucks to the biggest G in town at the time his ironically his name was Rend bacon right very appropriate who also was upset of course the km is religious how you talking you you say km is not has religious inflections Etc and he was says it's it's it's not right if they have a CRM tree which obviously is religious they should allow them to have a Min too the galak is saying okay so in the meantime I don't know about any of this that's going on with the galak or the moall I'm just doing a lot of outrage of kab parking lot so you're sitting in the kab like expressing outrage yes having no clue what's going on in the mall and all the other no idea someone finally runs out of my office about an hour into this and says Rabbi the the vice president of marketing of the mother Company Columbus is on the phone he talk to it's it's it's very it's immediately I said you know what tell him I'm very busy now I'll call him back when I have a few minutes Lo him schitz you know what I'm saying so I took my time probably about an hour or two you know until I was sure got out of all the airwaves possible and I called him back and I said to him yes can I help you said oh you know there's been a major misunderstanding I said really what what was the misunderstanding he says we don't have such a policy we never had such a policy I said you know listen this wasn't the janitor your M told me this this is your general manager she runs your whole place no there was a mistake we we we would never have such a policy he he's tripping over himself trying to apologize he says what can we do to get you back I said what at this point I don't know I mean our program is going to be on Sunday this is on Thursday say you know it's going to be expensive we have to change this I said I'll have to call you back at this point I call Rabbi cunan senior head of kabad of California actually of California because this is gone out of my was way out of my league yes I mean I'm not the big media personality at this point I didn't know at the time but Associated Press AP picked it up and they sell news to to people all over the world so like you know it was must been a slow day in Wilmington Delaware because the Wilmington something picked it up and some other chat Nuka Gazette whatever it's like it went viral as you call it today okay before viral became a word so they picked it up Chinese TV station carrier the whole world is worried about the Min and PAs of all place not Brooklyn not Washington I mean it's n you know so reun tells me first of foremost try and get a few dollars out of them no problem I said okay and then secondly he says try and get them to write a letter that stipulates that allow manur lightings in all of their properties oh I'm thinking fat chance but I'll try I called them the the um vice president marketing back I said to him well good news we can probably make it work but it's going to cost it's expensive because we already advertised how much will it cost I just pull the number out of my head cuz I needed 5 grand the next morning to pay the mortgage so I said probably at least $5,000 says hold on a second in 20 seconds he gets back Rabbi give me your account number we'll wiring it to you you'll have it in your account in 2 minutes I'm thinking idot could have told $20,000 if probably would have given it to me and I had the five grand was sent Mish in minutes I had $5,000 and I mentioned him about writing a letter for you know uh that allow manur LS at all the malls well that's a different department it might take a little longer he started dragging his feet I'm thinking it's one thing to be culpably you know to be culpable for his actions on the phone and riding his whole different B game the letter never happened so I came back out to the TV trucks are still there I said I have good news that the mall has capitulated they've changed your mind and we are going to be having our Lighting on Sunday whatever it is I don't know where this St in my head but honestly I I said to him but tomorrow morning Friday morning we're going to have the moving of the minora ceremony which is absolute nonsense okay absolute nonsense you want to come tomorrow to the mall at 8:30 we're having moving in the minora the minora you be us up on the spot on the spot I know it just fell in my head I don't know from where the the manura moving ceremony yeah that's Fant the moving of the manur ceremony and it it was just it's nothing there no ceremony I mean you know I got it was like four of us it was me I had this African-American guy used to work in kabad house a big lank straw guy a nephew and another kid and and we're comcom being able to carry it's heavy okay we finally I get to the mall and sure enough there's like four TV trucks waiting I'm like I can't believe they bought this and I'm like this is like a problem it's not wor ceremony there's four of us here you know what I mean but what am I making out of this is going on live TV you know what I mean so I get to get the out and thank godish has an interesting sense of humor there was some leftover kerosene like in one of the arms or branches poured all over my shirt when we leaned it down whatever we get it up there and then I'm see telling these four guys me there African American guy and two other people we start singing D not off and making a circle dancing around the manur and wouldn't sh with they showed on TV the moving in the Min ceremony of Pasad has taking place whatever it may be so then I told them but Sunday is going to be the real deal that's when we the whole lighting everything is going to be the mayor's going to come Etc so we sent out press releases and on Sunday it was the largest at the time certainly the largest crowd we ever had hundreds and hundreds of people came from the conservative Temple other sympathizers and whatnot and I needed bck him to help out I I a one man show I mean they need to make a leic i music and musician and band the whole story I got permission ultimately from the Yeshiva and LA to get to to come a little earlier than they normally would be allowed to come how do that I Begg the rash I don't he says you're not allowed to come after until three until whatever this minus Del like and this was earlier this is the story I I'm I need this P I don't know what else to do I begged and Begg somehow not sure what happened ra sh came into to his heart and he allowed it to happen he all the to cover like five b you made the exception through the all so they came down and sure enough they you know they're dancing and making Le and I'm running around and sure enough the mayor comes and I was going to have him like the Sham a non-jewish guy nice guy tall lanky is that what do they get the like if the G politicians come they have him light the shamish generally speaking Yeah because they can't like can't like anything else sham they can like cuz don't need a Shan you got to give him some sort of an honor if they show up whether it's the mayor the governor the that's you do like letting the show yeah generally speaking that's what they'll do um so said they of what to do so I before the lighting we had music playing and I turn around I see one of the BAM picks up the mayor on his shoulders he didn't know who the mayor was he know was the mayor he had no idea it's a tall lanky guy probably his late 60s nice guy and he's pun spinning him in circles like like we do at weddings you know I mean going don't do this thing it's not a thing you know with dancing and swinging and back and forth and he took his hat and he laugh it on top of the mayor's head like a schopper you know on top of his head and spinning him in circles and the mayor is holding out for deal life like with the bug eye like that deer in the headlights look he's push it like fearful and I'm worried the man's going to have a heart attack okay he's pushing spinning him in circles and the mayor's wife is standing next to him she's she looks like she's going have a coronary she wasn't sure what to do I tapped the B I said you no no put him down put him no no no le le he's ignoring me like I don't exist and he's spinning him said do put him down please please put him down he finally puts the maror down the man had trouble standing still I don't blame him he spun in circles okay he in late 60s I don't think he's ever been on anyone's shoulders in his life I apologize no no it was fine it was it was very different you know it was exciting whatever he told me at the time finally he came up he did his Spiel said a few words how pleased he was it you know this worked out at the mall lik the shamish it was an amazing program so it was Aran Miracle ultimately I mean b kiter um I used to get phone calls afterwards by many other him like what did you do how how did you get all this media exposure I said how I I didn't do anything to ask for the media exposure no but how'd you get them all like to capitulate I said how I sat down in my office I had a heart-to- heart talk with the reab honestly and I called my mashia and asked them what to do they said okay no but besides that what did you do like which which advertising company did you call did I said didn't call any advertising company call any Consultants nothing I tell you I sat down I had a I mean this is this this is the Reb's Pula it's not my Pula I'm just a humble go between and I call my what to do and that's it and but it's got to be someone else you call I said no one else I call I'm telling you I didn't call no one else they said it's impossible I said well you can call whatever you want that's exactly what happened there's nothing more nothing less and sure enough the next day the LA Times also covered it what picture do they put in the newspaper the next day the picture of the mayor with a slapper slapped on his head you know with his look at his eyes that's the picture made news in LA times but um that in short was that Year's kind of a miracle and ever since incidentally we've had permission to like the minur city hall which until then we couldn't is a city property Church in state ever since that story happened every year includ of this year we have neural big neural Lighting on the steps of City Hall it's a very iconic building in Pasadena not only is something not negative not only that's something negative not happen for me but it brought more positive it did and the m a new owner has bought it a few years later and we've been back there ever since in addition to City Hall and we do as I said we have a program going on every night so there's at this point bar is grown I mean like we literally have a truck packed with all the supplies for each Minal lighting speaker assistance Manas whatever it may be a u- truck I just rented for the week and everything gets you know set up Tor taken down back in the truck you resupply what you need next next program who does it for you you have help I can't do it myself anymore I work work for me there my kids some my older kids come home the ones who are single they help out so it's it's it's busy it's really busy W you should continue to have a lot lot of I'll take it we should all take it everything do um this this story reminds me of the first that's very much connected so often brings the even enemies the people on side was were daving [Music] for sometimes even the you get you get them to pay for your minor you get them to make the you bring it the stud Hall it's very very well brings out there that was wanted these things that the the world itself should support promote you this guy one side says right and it says whatever bottom line is it's not about me it's not about us none of it is about us we're here because daa wants you and I and every other person to be here and what we can do as specific individuals no other person can do for us there's a reason why you're created I'm created every other person is created and and here on this world or maybe more if you want to buy the extended warranty okay but literally needs you and I and everyone else to do our our in this world to be able to to have the world that wants make so I'm doing what I can to uh so to finish off what would you say to a person who's not officially on regular B of us isn't doing business where could where could a person like that find Opportunities to get involed in in areas of or like to bring guy to I don't know if if you're not if you're not if you're not doing it fulltime what are what are places that you could that you could uh for a man let's say for argument sake can get other put on filling and if you come enough Jew enough Jews in Brooklyn or wherever you live in New York I mean you got to meet if you're in business there's got to be dozens or hundreds of other Jews that you come in contact with over the year just ask him B you till in your office buy a cheap repair till and keep them either in your car in your office you don't have to bring your own fil back and forth every day you buy some people don't want they have expensive film they don't want to leave in the car I understand so buy a cheaper pair ker pair ofin and keep it this is your Mitzvah pair ofin if you can't afford it they'll call you then okay but seriously that's what I can't afford it I call you exactly a women encourage other women to like Chas candles you know every Friday before you know time or Y whatever it may be MIT there's there's so many options 63 mitz all said and down me just encourage another invite him over for Friday night shabas for for some to go to SCH epis B Vanessa with them anything you can do it's a matter of going out of your comfort zone right is it you know it's not always comfortable for people to ask others are you Jewish but more often than not if you're in business and you're working with somebody else you have a pretty good idea generally speaking you know but what is it's awkward to ask them about film like you get you know what you get over your awkwardness the ABA creates us with an ability to get out of our comfort zone the comfort zone is equated with M okay because M comes emically comes from the word which means limitations what is going out how do I go out of Egypt I've never been to Egypt this is my MIT myself impos limitations I'm not comfortable doing this this is my you have to go out of every single day find something to go out of with all right there thank you so much a interactive message WhatsApp email forcast gmail.com 347524 227 episod before you number one subscribe number two like and number three for the fun of it and thank you so much looking forward to seeing you again next time [Music]