World’s largest electronic Hanukkah Menorah lights-up Florida skyline : Paramount Miami Worldcenter Aglow with Candles & Stars of David
In observance of the Hanukkah holiday, the world’s largest electronic menorah is lighting up the South Florida skyline during the eight nights of the Jewish “Festival of Lights.”
SFLA’s Soaring Signature Skyscraper Celebrates Hanukkah
Starting the night of November 28th through the night of December 6th, the 60-story, $700-million Paramount Miami Worldcenter tower, which is equipped with the world’s tallest and most technologically-advanced animation lighting system, is igniting thousands of light-emitting diodes (L.E.D.s) in the shape of a menorah; in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Beacon of Belief
“The world’s largest electronic menorah is a shining beacon of belief and celebration,” says Paramount Miami Worldcenter CEO, Daniel Kodsi (Cod-See).
He continues, “The menorah is lit to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and is a symbol of truth and justice, which is what all Americans strive for.”
Dimensions
Appearing through Paramount’s 700-foot center column are the colossal twinkling images of scores of six-pointed “Stars of David” and the words, “Happy Hanukkah.”
Across the building’s crown, appears a 100-foot-high by 300-foot-wide illuminated image of eight flickering candles placed in a menorah – the classic candelabra symbol of Judaism.
The ultra-futuristic Paramount Miami Worldcenter skyscraper in downtown Miami is built with 16,000 L.E.D.s, embedded in 10,000 panes of high-impact glass, which can create a combination of 16.2 million colors.
Population Stats
Nearly 7.5 million Jews are residents and citizens of the U.S., according to the America Jewish Federation.
The state of Florida is home to more than 620,000 Jewish people.
More than 520,000 Jewish people reside in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
Nearly 19% of Miami-Dade County is Jewish, according to some statistics.
Palm Beach County is nearly 16% Jewish, according to the county’s local Jewish Federation chapter.
Boca Raton has an estimated population of 95,000 Jews and 16 synagogues.
The history of Jews in South Florida dates back to the 19th century.
A vast majority of South Florida Jews are Ashkenazi descendants of Eastern European, Polish and Russian ancestry.
Many are also immigrants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Israel, Mexico and Peru.
Tower Lighting Times
The tower lightings begin at sunset on Sunday night, November 28th and continue through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 6th.
During the first night of Hanukkah, the world’s largest electronic menorah will remain lit, continuously, through sunrise Monday, November 29th.
Thereafter, the building will light up at the top and bottom of every hour, during darkness, for a period of five minutes, every night, until midnight.
About Hanukkah
Hanukkah commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt, in the second century B.C.
The revolt was waged against the armies of the Greek Hellenistic King, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and the so-called Seleucid Empire, who invaded Jerusalem and seized control of the city’s temple.
Following a bloody battle, Jewish rebels took back the Holy Temple from their conquerors.
They cleaned and restored the once-occupied Temple but had only one small flask of oil to light the menorah, which was not only an omen to GOD, but the structure’s primary internal lighting system.
The small amount of oil lasted for eight days, which was considered a miracle, so people now celebrate Hanukkah to remember this event and thank GOD.
The First Temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.
Six hundred years later, the Second Temple, which was built to accommodate as many as a million people, according to the Talmud, was destroyed by the Roman Empire.
Miami’s Soaring Signature Skyscraper
Paramount is the soaring signature residential skyscraper of the $4-billion, 27-acre Miami Worldcenter.
It is currently America’s largest urban core construction project and the nation’s second-largest real estate development.
Paramount is considered the most heavily-amenitized residential tower in the U.S.
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