The National Menorah Lighting was held on The Ellipse at the National Mall in Washington albeit the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, vice president of the American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), which organizes the event told those attending concessions were made for social distancing but the message of Hanukkah endures.

U. S. Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt, joined Rabbi Abraham Shemtov and Rabbi Levi Shemtov, to light the National Hanukkah Menorah on The Ellipse.

“We celebrate the 42nd lighting of the National Menorah, a symbol of faith, hope and light,” Bernhardt said.

The National Menorah is a large Hanukkah menorah located in the northeast quadrant of The Ellipse near the White House.