Menorahs to Light Way for 8-Day Celebration of Jewish Heritage

As religious and community groups are preparing to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights and freedom that begins at sundown tonight, thousands of Jewish families in Ventura County are gearing up to light the first candle of their menorahs.

The eight-day holiday is a special occasion for Jewish families to get together and celebrate their heritage, said Rabbi Moshe Bryski, executive director of the Chabad of the Conejo Valley.

“We like to call it a Jewish family reunion,” Bryski said. “The way you make Hanukkah great is by spreading its message. It is a message of light over darkness and goodness over evil.”

And Chabad has placed dozens of menorahs at supermarkets and public buildings throughout the Conejo Valley to help spread that message.

“Each menorah can help light a spark in every Jewish soul,” said Rabbi Yisroel Levine, standing alongside a menorah in the lobby of the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks.

According to Jewish history, the holiday is the commemoration of a miracle that occurred after the Jews returned to their temple in Jerusalem about 158 B.C. In order to rededicate the temple, which had been defiled by their enemies, the Jews needed to light the menorah with pure olive oil. While they only found enough oil for one day, God kept the flame alive for eight days.

“And thus it was established that every year we would celebrate the miracle of light,” Bryski said.

The celebrations include the nightly ritual lighting of the menorah. Each night of the holiday, an additional candle is lighted, until all eight candles are burning on the holiday’s last night.

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For many nonreligious Jews, Hanukkah is an opportunity to get in touch with their own traditions.

“For me, it is more a cultural thing than a religious thing,” Julie Boyajian said as she browsed through the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Thousand Oaks looking for children’s books that told the Hanukkah story. Boyajian, whose husband is not Jewish, said she wants to teach her 2-year-old daughter about both Jewish and Christian traditions. The family plans to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas.

“Now that she is old enough, it is harder to explain both holidays,” Boyajian said. “But she’ll get to celebrate both.”

Children’s Hanukkah titles sold well this year, according to store manager Frank Walsh. Only about 20 of a total of 47 titles were left on the shelves by Wednesday afternoon.

These are some of the events planned throughout the county to celebrate the holiday:

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On Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Chabad of the Conejo presents “The Hanukkah Wonderland at Calamigos Ranch,” with children’s rides, crafts, a Dreidel House, a Simcha machine, face painters, a Velcro wall and a puppet show. A mountaintop Menorah kindling ceremony will crown the day’s events. The events will be held at 327 S. Latigo Canyon Road, between Agoura and Malibu.

On Monday, Chabad, in cooperation with the Mountaingate Plaza Shopping Center in Simi Valley, will hold an indoor Hanukkah Festival. The ceremony will commence at 7 p.m. in the mall center.

On Tuesday, Chabad will join with The Oaks mall in front of a towering 20-foot-tall menorah--the largest in Thousand Oaks--to hold a Hanukkah festival. The Tel-Aviv Band will play Israeli and Jewish music. This festival will include rabbis, community leaders, government officials and community leaders. The menorah will be lighted with the help of a 25-foot lift.

Wednesday, Chabad and the Agoura Hills City Mall will hold a celebration featuring an acrobatic show by the “Equilistristic Marvels.” Rabbi Bryski will be hoisted in the air on a crane to light an 18-foot-tall menorah.

Two Menorah mobiles with electric menorahs on their roofs will circulate through the community handing out menorahs, candles and gifts for children. For information, call (818) 991-0991.

The Temple of Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks will have a special community Hanukkah celebration at 4 p.m. Sunday. There will be singing, dancing, latkes and candle-lighting ceremonies. Latkes, a traditional potato pancake dessert served with sour cream and apple sauce, will be prepared by the men’s club. The temple is at 1080 Janss Road. For information, call (805) 497-6891)

In Ventura, Temple Beth Torah will hold three main events to celebrate Hanukkah. On Friday, the temple’s confirmation class will lead a Shabbat Hanukkah family service at 7 p.m. The service will be followed by a bring-your-own kosher-style family dinner. At 8, there will be a candle-lighting party.

On Saturday, the Camerata Pacifica will hold a classical music concert at 7:30. Tickets are $25. Reservations can be made by calling 647-4181.

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The temple will hold a fair from 10:15 a.m. to noon Sunday for families with children between 2 and 12 years old. It will include music, games, crafts and food.

A highlight of the Hanukkah celebration, said Debbie Pollack of Temple Beth Torah, will be the menorah contest. Thirty participants fashioned menorahs from many different substances.

“There are marshmallow menorahs, brickle menorahs, and menorahs of Lego blocks,” she said. “There’s even a commemorative Elvis menorah, and a surfing menorah.”

The unorthodox menorahs will be on display through Dec. 12 at Beth Torah, 7620 Foothill Blvd.

Times staff writer Hilary E. MacGregor contributed to this story.