A solitary candle will bring light to thousands of people in Santa Clarita’s Jewish community for the first night of Hanukkah at the Westfield Valencia Town Center on Sunday.
Beginning at 5 p.m., Chabad of SCV, Congregation Beth Shalom and Temple Beth Ami will lead the Menorah lighting ceremony. With each succeeding night, the next seven candles are lit, giving notice to Hanukkah’s other name, “the Festival of Lights.”
This ceremony will feature arts and crafts, including how to make dreidels, and a choir will sing Hanukkah-related songs.
“It will bring the warmth (of the candles) outside into the cold winter,” said Rabbi Choni Marozov of Chabad SCV.
Marozov, who lit the Menorah last year, pointed out to what Hanukkah means in Hebrew: dedication.
“A lot of the focus on Hanukkah is the children,” he said. “It’s largely about educating children and the next generation on their ancestors and the traditions that need to be passed down.”
The holiday stems from the Maccabean Revolt against the Syrian-Greek empire. The candles of the Menorah symbolize the miracle of one drop of oil lasting for eight days.
