This holiday season, Edina is introducing a Hanukkah display featuring a six-foot menorah and a three-foot dreidel, placed near the Christmas tree at the 50th & France district. This initiative is part of a broader campaign by the Edina Multicultural Collaborative to celebrate the city’s cultural diversity.
The Hanukkah display was co-created by Heather Edelson, Hennepin County Commissioner and co-founder of the Edina Multicultural Collaborative, and Lauren Sundick, an Edina resident.
Sundick expressed her motivation for the project. “Growing up here, we never had a Hanukkah display, and with so many Jewish families now in the area, including my own, it seemed overdue,” she said.
The unveiling will take place during Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30, with the menorah fully lit between 5 and 5:30 p.m. It will remain illuminated throughout the holiday season, with each candle of the menorah lit sequentially during Hanukkah.
Edelson shared Sundick’s vision. “The makeup of our city has changed so much and there are so many Jewish families in the area,” said Edelson.
“I called Heather and I asked if she’d pair up on this and she said, ‘Oh, it’s so funny. I just was thinking the same and started talking to the Community Foundation about it.’ So it was very serendipitous” said Sundick.
The planning process, according to Edelson, emphasized the changing demographics and cultural makeup of Edina. “Edina is changing, it’s multicultural, it’s diverse,” she said, underlining the importance of representation in community symbols.
The Edina Multicultural Collaboration will implement additional symbols into the community to celebrate other cultural events, including Ramadan and Diwali.
Speaking about the placement of the display, Sundick said, “We went through so many spots, but ultimately it will be placed pretty much directly next to the Christmas tree, just a few feet away, and I think it’ll be really beautiful and kind of a symbol of our community.”
The initiative is supported by the Edina Community Foundation and the 50th & France Business Association, with funding completely sourced from community donations. “Families in the community have funded it, and Heather and I chose [the display]. It’s really simple and beautiful and then there’s this cute dreidel too that’ll make it very playful and fun,” Sundick said.
Edelson’s work aims to provide a platform for all of Edina’s cultures to be celebrated.
“We know how important it is for our community, not just the Jewish community, to see this symbolism,” Edelson said. “It’s about something much bigger… It’s really important, that feeling of lifting each other up.”
This ethos drives the Multicultural Collaborative’s mission, aiming to celebrate Edina’s diversity through public displays and community-led initiatives.
“It’s so important for our children to see these symbols that reflect not just their heritage but the diverse heritage of everyone in our community. We’re so excited for such a beautiful display in downtown Edina,” said Sundick.
