Community celebrates Menorah lighting on Hanukkah’s 8th night
The final night of Hanukkah was celebrated with a menorah lighting, Jewish music and camaraderie at Valencia Town Center on Sunday evening.
The evening was illuminated by a large menorah that was cooperatively lit by Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste, along with Rabbi Mark Blazer, Rabbi Choni Marozov and Rabbi Jay Siegel, representing all three synagogues in the Santa Clarita Valley: Temple Beth Ami, Chabad of SCV, and Congregation Beth Shalom, respectively.
Marozov wished everyone a “Happy Hanukkah” when he took the stage and made it known that this was the first time lighting all eight candles on the menorah since starting the mall celebration – about 25 years ago.
At the event’s outset, Marozov began talking about the mass shooting that occurred on the first night of Hanukkah in Bondi Beach, Australia.
“So, it was just one week ago, before we even had a chance to light one candle. That darkness descended on this world, in a beautiful community, that I lived in for two years, Bondi Beach,” Marozov said. “I actually read the Torah for a year at Chabad of Bondi. And evil men decided to bring darkness into this world and to try to extinguish the light of the menorah. And unfortunately, 15 lives were taken.”
He added that a friend and colleague of his, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was killed during the terrorist attack.
But with a sense of hope, Marozov said to the crowd that roughly 20,000 people came together in Bondi Beach to celebrate the last night of Hanukkah.
“(It’s) sending a message to those who try to extinguish our lights, that our light can never be extinguished. The more you try to extinguish us, the more light we shine,” he said.
During his speech, he pointed to his car and said that he had been driving around the city sporting a lit-up menorah on his car and all he received was “positive vibes throughout SCV.”
Victoria Sreden, who practices Christianity, decided to join the festivities because her late husband was Jewish.
“And I just, I just feel like I should be here to support anybody that, that is feeling oppressed, and a certain way. I’m Christian. I feel like we all should be respectful of each other,” Sreden said.
Sreden added that there are always two sides of a coin and that people who practice different religions should be kind to each other.
“We’re all in this world together. And then everyone’s only happy when we work together, but if people are fighting, it just creates animosity, and hatred, and hatred is just so dividing,” Sreden said.
Getting a little emotional, Sreden said that it was painful to see people get hurt and killed just for something they believed in.
“And to know that you’re doing something that you feel, I don’t know what the word would be, that meant something to you, and to have such evil come in and strip you of that. That moment that you were celebrating is just, it’s, it’s, it’s unmanageable,” Sreden said, choking up a bit.
Brynna Barnholtz, who is Jewish, said it was nice to see the last candle of the menorah being lit with her community, especially after the recent world events.
“So, it’s really nice to see everyone come together for really a happy occasion, and to just spread light and joy,” Barnholtz said.
Barnholtz said that the community needs to continue its emphasis on showing support for the Jewish community with these kinds of events.
“We’re loud and we’re proud to be Jewish, and to just continue spreading our light and spreading joy and just showing that, you know, being Jewish is fun and good, and that everyone should be proud to be Jewish,” Barnholtz said.
Blazer said what makes this evening special is the cooperation of all three synagogues because it is not always like that in other communities.
“I’ve been here for 26 years as the rabbi of my synagogue. Rabbi (Choni) Marozov has been around the same time in his community. And we all, we all just want people to find a community, to find a home wherever they are, whatever synagogue they go to, whatever way that they express their connection to Judaism,” Blazer said. “We all support each other, and we support the different ways that people find a home in this community. We just want people to find a home.”
