Howard County's Jewish community is celebrating a big milestone: 40 years since the county's first Chabad came to be. 

With Hanukkah around the corner, the community has a lot of events planned to showcase their pride. 

One family's showing of Jewish pride has even become a county holiday staple every year. 

Fostering a community

Rabbi Yanky Baron's father helped establish the county's Jewish community, helping create the first Chabad and even the county's first synagogue.

Baron's father taught him to be proud of his Jewish faith, so it's something he's passed on to his community as a leader.

"Disrespect happens when you don't respect yourself. So, when people respect being Jewish, then the world respects Jews. I have seen that, hands down, and that's what I inspire my community to do," Baron said.

Pride shining bright

Matt Levine, who lives in River Hill in Columbia, takes Baron's message to heart. So much so that every year, many in the county go to his home to see it first-hand.

Even during the day, the River Hill Chanukah display outside of his home at 6424 Empty Song Road shines bright.

Levine said he started putting up the display in 2014, and at first, it was just a single bear. It's continuously grown year after year, even taking over a neighbor's yard.

His daughter, who was three when it started, asked him why they didn't have something like Christmas lights outside.

"Trying to explain to a three-year-old that [we didn't have lights because] we celebrate Hanukkah was a little difficult, so I decided we can have lights," Levine said. "That's what Hanukkah is all about anyway, bringing lightness from the darkness."

The lights have grown to become a way for Levine and his family to share their Jewish pride. Since moving to Columbia in 2006, he's participated in a lot of community events with Chabads in the county.

"You see how big and how many people come to the different events they put on. It's a place for folks to feel comfortable with everything going on nowadays," he said. "With so much of the antisemitism and things like that going on."

Levine said he'll keep adding things to the display until Hanukkah officially starts. You can check out the display's Facebook page to keep an eye on updates. Visiting hours for the display run from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every night.

There's another home you can stop by to see a Hanukkah display at 9785 MD-99 in Ellicott City.

Howard County Hanukkah events

Given the historic milestone, the county's Jewish community has a lot of events planned.

On the holiday's first day, Dec. 14, Chanukah on Ice will be happening at Color Burst Park in Columbia. There will be ice skating, a Menorah lighting, and a fire show. The event starts at 4:15 p.m.

There will also be a Main Street Chanukah Celebration happening on Dec. 16, starting at 6 p.m. The event begins at the Historic Thomas Isaac Log Cabin at 8358 Frederick Road in Ellicott City.

For more information, you can head here.