Needham's Chabad Jewish Center, PTC host Menorah design contest

By Laura E. Franzini, Globe Correspondent

The Chabad Jewish Center in partnership with Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) will be hosting a Menorah design contest. Contestants will build a virtual Menorah using PTC's Creo product design software, and will be judged according to specific guidelines.

The most creative and original Menorah will be chosen to be manufactured and lit on the Needham Town Common during the Jewish holiday of Chanukah. The winner will also receive an iPad or $500 cash.

"We've had many interesting Menorahs over the years, including Menorahs made out of ice, toys, Legos, balloons, and even humans," said Rabbi Mendel Krinsky, director of the Chabad Jewish Center. "We are very excited about the contest and are eager to see what contestants will come up with for the Menorah design this year. We are grateful to PTC for partnering with us to make this contest a reality," he said.

The purpose of the community-wide Chanukah celebration in Needham is to share the "universal message that ultimately good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression, and light over darkness," according to a press release from the Chabad Jewish Center. "The Chanukah lights provide us with warmth, joy, strength, and inspiration," it says.

In its Chanukah outreach campaign, the Chabad Jewish Center joins many other Chabad Lubavitch centers across the globe that are staging similar public displays of the Menorah and its symbolic lights. To find out more about the competition and guidelines, and to enter, visit chabadjewishcenter.us/menorah-design-contest.

Laura Franzini can be reached at laura.franzini@globe.com.