Opinion: Happy Hanukkah! Let’s light up that tree.
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Tonight marks the begining of Hanukkah! But apparently California didn’t get the memo. According to the Sacramento Bee:
The 76th annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be held at 5:15 p.m. on the west steps of the Capitol, with festivities beginning at 4:30 p.m., according to a news release by Shriver’s office. ‘We light this tree as a symbol of the true meaning of Christmas which is love, prosperity, peace and joy,’ Schwarzenegger stated in the release.
But don’t think the state has forgotten the true meaning of the holiday:
Hanukkah, which begins at sundown Tuesday, also will be commemorated at the Capitol this week during a menorah lighting ceremony Thursday afternoon...
(Incidentally, City Hall — apparently a little savvier than the state — seemed to be doing something on the lawn involving a menorah, a very loud man and lots of folding chairs about an hour ago. Good for us.)
The Hanukkah (or is it Chanukah?) roundup continues...
USA Today ponders the economic pros and cons of the growing gap between the winter holidays.
Blast from the past: The Times’ Daily Mirror features L.A. Jewish community icon Peter M. Kahn Sr. telling a story around the menorah in 1950.
Blast from the past, sort of: Last year, Joel Stein cheered on Hanukkah in its annual grudge match against Christmas.
Writer Amy Klein reflects on celebrating Hanukkah in an Orthodox Jewish community as opposed to in Israel:
‘Presents are for Christmas, not Chanukah,’ my father insisted. That’s how Chanukah was in America, even in the recesses of religious Brooklyn; still defined by what it was not: not Christmas. And that’s why my move to Israel was so refreshing. In Israel, Rosh Hashanah, Succot, Passover and Chanukah are national holidays. Schools are closed, and often businesses, too.
Last but not least, the Los Angeles Fire Department blog reminds people to ‘Be Safe With Your Chanukah Menorah Candles.’