Today, Thursday, Dec. 7, is the first day of Chanukah, which ends Dec. 15.
The 20th Pre-Chanukah Menorah Lighting was held Sunday evening, Dec. 5, in Eisenhower Park. The park was already beginning to fill up before the sun set, before the ceremony officially began at 5 p.m. Most participants wore jackets. Many wore scarves.
Perhaps 500 people attended this year’s event. “We completely ran out of hot coco and cups,” wrote Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, of Los Alamitos/Cypress Chabad, in a Dec. 4 email.
“We also gave away over 500 donuts. We usually plan for 500, and this year people got there early and we gave away all our menorah kits. I would estimate at 500,” Marcus wrote.
(Last year, Marcus put the crowd size at 300 to 400.)
Several members of the audience waved small Israeli flags.
This year’s event included a prayer for Israel.
The four-member Los Angeles band Emotional Intelligence performed live music, including “Blowing in the Wind” and “Light One Candle,” a Chanukah song from folk singers Peter, Paul, and Mary, as well as original songs.
Students from Hebrew High distributed free donuts, menorah kits, dreidels and chocolate coins.
Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, of Los Alamitos/Cypress Chabad, greeted the audience. Marcus told the audience that people asked if the menorah lighting would go forward this year.
“When they go dark, we go bright,” Marcus said.
“We are awake, we are alive, we are alight,” he said.
“Light attracts,” he said.
“Give yourselves a round of applause for being the light and goodness that will save this planet,” Marcus said.
Seal Beach Police Chief Michael Henderson attended this year’s event. “We are so grateful to our Jewish community,” Henderson said.
Marcus gave an unscheduled prayer for Israel.
Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal and Assemblymember Diane Dixon also spoke briefly. Lowenthal described them as friends, though they are from different districts and different parties. Lowenthal is a member of the state’s Jewish Caucus.
He spoke briefly about anti-Semitism. He said there was one difference between anti-Semitism and other “isms.” “Anti-Semitism is about blame,” Lowenthal said.
He also said the California Legislative Jewish Caucus was not going to hide.
Dixon said she was honored to be there with him.
Dixon asked if she could be an honorary member.
“I stand with Israel in love an honor,” she said.
After Emotional Intelligence performed “Light One Candle,” Rabbi Marcus said that 20 years ago, they had a smaller menorah.
The current menorah is 9 feet high.
Nine families lit each of the candles of the menorah. The middle candle is the Shamash (the service candle). The Reyngold family lit the Shamash, Dennis and Clair Singer lit the first candle, the Roth family lit the second candle, the Prince family lit the third candle, Mercedes Neves-Hatchwell lit the fourth candle, Richard Wolpow and Tali Bercovitz lit the fifth candle, the Posner family lit the sixth candle, the Erman family lit the seventh candle, and the Rubin family lit the eighth candle.
Marcus encouraged everyone to spread light and goodness when they went home from the ceremony. He asked the audience for applause for the Hebrew High students who gave the coffee, the donuts, and the dreidels.
According to Chabad.org (not to be confused with Los Alamitos /Cypress Chabad), in the second century BCE, the Seleucids tried to force the Israelis to worship according to the ways of the Seleucids. The Maccabees took up arms in the defense of their way of life.
“The Chanukah victory allowed Jews to practice freely, and Jewish education was finally permissible once again, therefore, there is a custom to give Chanukah money ‘Gelt’ to help pay for a Jewish education the Chanukah chocolate coins are a sweet tribute to the Chanukah Gelt,” according to the Seal Beach menorah lighting program.