Community Menorah Lightings to Celebrate the Beginning of Hanukkah
Community to Celebrate Hanukkah with Menorah Lightings in Los Angeles and Orange Counties
Los Angeles and Orange counties will host free public menorah lightings on Sunday to commemorate the first night of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Celebrations are set to take place in Culver City, Santa Monica, Laguna Beach, and Newport Beach.
In Culver City, a grand menorah lighting at The Culver Steps will commence at 4:30 p.m. Attendees can look forward to live music, a magic show, traditional latkes, doughnuts, chocolate "gelt," arts and crafts, and a caricature artist. The Jewish Community of Culver City-Chabad, which is organizing this event, has announced that every child attending will receive a gift. Complimentary parking will be available for one hour.
Additional menorah lighting ceremonies in Culver City will occur on Monday at 5 p.m. at Platform LA, Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Ivy Station, and Wednesday at 7 p.m. at The Shay Hotel. In Santa Monica, nightly menorah lightings will begin at 5 p.m. in the 1400 block of the Third Street Promenade, continuing each night through the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, which falls on the following Sunday.
Laguna Beach will feature a unique surfboard menorah lighting in the Cobblestone Area of Laguna Main Beach, starting at 2 p.m. This event will also include face painting, crafts for children, and traditional latkes and gelt. Additionally, at Fashion Island’s Atrium Garden Court, a menorah-lighting ceremony from 3 to 5 p.m. will offer doughnuts, crafts, and gifts for children. On Monday at 5:30 p.m., another lighting will take place at the Beverly Gardens Park Lily Pond in Beverly Hills.
The historical roots of Hanukkah date back to 165 B.C. when Jewish forces led by Judah Maccabee defeated the Hellenistic Syrian army. Following this victory, the temple in Jerusalem, previously converted for the worship of Zeus, was rededicated. According to tradition, only a small amount of ritually pure olive oil was found to light the ceremonial lamp, yet it miraculously lasted for eight days.
Hanukkah, meaning "dedication" in Hebrew, is celebrated worldwide by lighting candles on a special menorah, or Hanukkiah, each evening for eight days, adding an additional candle each night. These lights serve to remind passersby of the miracle associated with the festival.
Traditional customs during Hanukkah include spinning a dreidel—a four-sided top—and consuming foods fried in oil, such as latkes and jelly doughnuts. The practice of giving "gelt," or money, originated with 17th-century Polish Jews, evolving over time into the giving of gifts during the holiday.
Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of Jewish Federation Los Angeles, remarked, "Every Hanukkah, we spin the toy top called a dreidel upon which are inscribed the words, ‘Nes gadol haya sham,’ translated as, ‘A great miracle happened there.’ Or, as our family and friends in Israel say, ‘A great miracle happened here.’"
Farkas added insight into the concept of miracles in the Jewish tradition, pointing out that they are not rooted in magic. "Miracles, in our tradition, are not magic. Rather, the Jewish sense of miracles is to open our hearts to the idea of wonder and to imagine a world better than the one in which we live," he explained.
As the community gathers to celebrate, these events will not only honor tradition but also inspire unity and reflection on the enduring message of perseverance and hope that Hanukkah represents.
