Chanukah Highlight

Chabad of Golden Beach

This project came out of a Chanukah parade and fair organized by Rabbi Amar and Chabad of Golden Beach. Car-top menorahs rolling through the streets, kids everywhere, music blasting, people dancing, latkes and donuts in hand, tefillin being wrapped, a minyan forming naturally — the kind of organized chaos that somehow feels exactly right.

My role was to capture the day honestly. Not overly polished. Not staged. Just present.
The goal wasn’t to “cover an event,” but to translate the feeling of Chanukah as it actually lives in the world — public, joyful, embodied, and unapologetically alive.

The final piece is a highlight recap meant to preserve that energy and allow it to keep spreading long after the candles are lit.

Over the past few years, Rabbi Amar has become not just a collaborator, but a close friend. We’ve worked together on many projects, but more than that, he’s had a real impact on me as a human being and as a Jew. Our conversations, our work, and the way he shows up consistently — with warmth, clarity, and conviction — have shaped me more than he probably realizes.

Rabbi Amar has a way of creating spaces where people feel welcome without needing to perform, explain, or qualify themselves. His work  is about showing up in the world with light,  when the world feels heavy or fractured.

Filming this Chanukah celebration didn’t feel like a job. It felt like being inside something meaningful while it was happening. Watching families experience Jewish joy openly. Seeing adults reconnect to something simple and grounding. Feeling how light — real light — moves through a community when it’s lived, not preached.

This film isn’t just a recap of an event. It’s a snapshot of a relationship, a shared language, and years of collaboration built on trust, values, and mutual respect. I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep creating alongside Rabbi Amar and Chabad of Golden Beach — and for the ways this work continues to shape me along the way.