Ceremonies to Mark Start of Hanukkah

Candle-lighting ceremonies to mark the first night of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah will be held tonight at the Ronald Reagan library near Simi Valley and Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks.

The eight-day festival, which commemorates the recapture of the Jerusalem temple in 165 B.C., has come to symbolize freedom and the preservation of faith under oppression, said Rabbi Yakov Latowicz of the Chabad of Ventura.

“The lighting of the Hanukkah menorah is particularly relevant in America,” Latowicz said. “With the violence and other problems we have, every little bit of light helps.”

At 4 p.m. today, the Chabad will sponsor a lighting ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Another ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Temple Etz Chaim, 1080 Janss Road in Thousand Oaks.

Other events are scheduled nightly through Monday.

On Thursday, a Hanukkah ceremony featuring a children’s choir and piano music will be held at 7 p.m. at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks. On Friday, Hanukkah services will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura and at 7 p.m. at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks.

The Chabad will sponsor a candle-lighting ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the fourth night of Hanukkah, at the Jack Boyd Community Center, 510 Park Road in Ojai.

On Saturday, the Chabad will sponsor the annual Hanukkah Festival from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Buenaventura Mall in Ventura. The event will feature Israeli music and a children’s show. The candle-lighting ceremony will be conducted by Cantor Gerald Hanig at 8 p.m.

On Sunday, a Hanukkah ceremony featuring a children’s show will be held at 4 p.m. at the Mountain Gate Plaza Shopping Center in Simi Valley.

A community festival will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Los Primeros School Auditorium, 2222 Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo. A children’s show will be followed by the lighting of the menorah at 8 p.m.

Traditional food and toys will be given away. For more information, call the Chabad of Ventura at 658-7441.