WEST HILLS : Jewish Groups Plan Hanukkah Festival

A candle-lighting ceremony, a children’s play and contemporary and traditional Jewish music will be among the highlights of the West Valley Hanukkah Festival on Dec. 4.

Scheduled for the last day of Hanukkah, the festival will be the first of its kind sponsored by the West Valley Community Center, the San Fernando Valley Alliance Jewish Federation Council and three local temples.

Craig Taubman, a singer-songwriter known for his American-style Jewish music, will be the featured performer at the free festival, which will be held at Temple Aliyah in West Hills.

In addition to Taubman, a choir of canters will perform Hanukkah songs, according to Selma Sladek, spokeswoman for the West Valley Jewish Community Center. For teen-agers, the festival will host a workshop in tikkun olam , the Judaic concept of healing the world.

“The project will be making hats and caps for children who have undergone chemotherapy for cancer,” Sladek said. “The decorated hats will be donated to these children.” The festival is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (818) 587-3300.