With Chanukah beginning on Sunday, Gesher School in North London has built an 18-foot-tall Lego Chanukiah that was unveiled by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis on Tuesday.
The idea came at the beginning of the year to one of the school’s teaching assistants, Danny Cazzato, who in a previous role worked at Lego.

A design was presented by Mr Cazzato to students for feedback, with construction of the 80,000-brick chanukiah commencing in November.

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The Lego menorah at Gesher

The school’s special needs students contributed to building the base of the impressive structure and the nine candles on top, while a “master-builder” built and glued the rest of it together and made sure it was safely secured to the wall in Gesher’s main hall.

Gesher’s co-headteacher Tamaryn Yartu, said: “It was really important for us that the Chanukiah was made from Lego because it’s something that our students really love. It was also fantastic to have the Chief Rabbi visit and officially cut the ribbon.”
The Chief Rabbi spoke about the importance of chanukiahs and the significance of Chanukah to the Jewish people.

He also presented the students at Gesher with their own mini-Lego models to build at home. Gesher School is an Ofsted Outstanding Jewish faith school that caters to children aged 4 to 16 years with a range of mild to moderate special education needs including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and Down’s syndrome.

The school employs a varied curriculum, which includes the Project-based learning (PBL) initiative, a holistic approach to teaching that promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.

Started in 2017 with seven students, the school has since grown significantly and has plans to expand the campus further in line with demand.