The biggest menorah in the world is being lit in Manhattan this week

Let’s start with the straight-up news: this Wednesday morning at 8am, just days before Hanukkah officially begins, Chabad will erect its towering 36-foot menorah at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, directly across from the Plaza Hotel. The candelabra, called World’s Largest Menorah, will be lit each night of the holiday, starting Sunday night and continuing through December 21.

“This year’s Chanukah celebrations take on even greater significance as we prepare to mark 250 years since America’s founding,” said Rabbi Yossi Butman, organizer of the menorah on behalf of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, in an official statement. “The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, taught that the menorah is a universal symbol of liberty and holds an important place not only in Jewish life, but in the life of the American people.”

Now for the holiday drama. While the Manhattan menorah—designed by Yaacov Agam and officially certified by Guinness as the world’s largest—holds the title at 36 feet tall, there’s another contender right here in New York making a competing claim. The menorah at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights also calls itself the world’s largest.

An investigation into the dueling claims a few years ago revealed the technical truth: the Manhattan menorah stands at 36 feet, while the Brooklyn one measures 32 feet (and now even boasts a plaque that reads “Largest Menorah in Brooklyn,” as opposed to the world). According to traditional Jewish law, however, a menorah can only be considered kosher up to a maximum height of 32 feet. Which means that while Manhattan may have the biggest menorah overall, Brooklyn can claim the title of the world’s largest kosher menorah.

We love a Hanukkah rivalry.