STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO – (December 9 th 2024) Join Har Mishpacha the Jewish Congregation of Steamboat, and the entire Routt County community for one of our many celebrations of light in honor of the Holidays.
This year, a brand new Hanukkah Menorah made out of Snowboards will be installed at the base of Steamboat Mountain Resort! This unique festive creation is made with love by Randy Salky with help from other community members. We give gratitude to Steamboat Resort for including the Jewish Community in their Holiday display. Hanukkah Menorah sponsored by: Har Mishpacha, Jon Peddie, David Josfan, Harvey and Joanne Sender, and BBYO Global Shabbat.
More info: www.hanukkahsteamboat.com
The Story of our *new* Menorah
Randy Salky has always loved making art out of found and recycled objects and when he moved to Steamboat Springs twenty years ago, he had an opportunity to dive into this passion as the designer of the Hanukkah Menorah’s for the local Jewish community, Har Mishpacha.
The word “menorah” is Hebrew for “lamp,” and refers to the the eight-flamed lamp that is lit on the eight nights of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. On December 28 at 3:30pm, the latest menorah created by Randy Salky, will be unveiled at the base of the Steamboat Resort. This year’s celebration, affectionately named ‘8 Nights of Shred’, is Salkys 4th Menorah creation displayed in Steamboat Springs.
Salkys first large-scale menorah was built and planned for display on the Routt County courthouse lawn in 2014. However, the county objected to a “religious” display at the time and Salky and the Har Mishpacha congregation was left scrambling to find another suitable location to shine the Hanukkah lights. The joyous Steamboat holiday spirit was shown when three different local churches offered their assistance. Pastor Tim Selby of Heart of Steamboat, invited Har Mishpacha to display the menorah on their property and from there a foundation was made for a true partnership between the two congregations. Heart of Steamboat has now become a place of worship for many spiritual traditions in Routt County.
Over three years ago, Randy Salky, had a vision of making a large Hanukkah candle display out of Snowboard decks. He had plenty of experience making large artistic menorahs made out of skis, acrylic columns, and fence posts, but this vision kept on popping up for him. His vision required a well-planned collaboration with engineers and electricians, carpenters, and designers and every time he thought of doing this, the task seemed a little overwhelming and daunting.
Two years ago, Har Mishpacha, took a giant step and hired a full-time Rabbi. Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary came on before the high holidays and made an effort to get to know all the members of the Steamboat Springs community. One relationship she built was with Rob Perlman of Steamboat Resort. The two of them came together to share the holiday spirit and Rabbi Kolby knew who to call to have a Menorah placed at the base of the mountain.
Randy Salky has created many menorahs over the years and happened to have a ‘SKINORAH’ or ‘HannuSKIah’ at his house. He was happy to share this creative sculpture made of skis with the mountain but realized over the last two years at the mountain that the scale of the menorah needed to be larger and more animated and that is when he realized that his vision for a Snowboard Menorah could finally be made.
Always thinking out of the box, he knew that this was the sign to create what he had been thinking about putting together for years and now it was time to literally put the “boards” in motion to make this happen. He had gathered about 50 snowboard decks donated by Christy Sports and a call was made out to the Steamboat Springs and Har Mishpacha community to help. Many people came together to offer their expertise. Special thanks to Peter Soller, Curtis Gravatt, Robert Goldstein, Mike Hirshman, Kande Iken, and Eli Margaret-Verrett.
The 8 days of shred was sponsored by the generosity of: Har Mishpacha, David Josfan, Jon Peddie, Joanne and Harvey Sender, and BBYO Global Shabbat. This week the finishing touches were put on making the articulating Snowboard menorah. The “8 Days of Shred” Menorah will be revealed on December 28th at the base of the Steamboat Mountain in Gondola Square and all are invited.