Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas

The spirit of the holidays is being celebrated in churches, synagogues and other places of worship throughout Southern California:

HANUKKAH

Sunday night marks the beginning of Hanukkah. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Syrian Greeks and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple in 165 BC. According to Rabbinic legend, the Jews found only a single vessel of oil in the temple but it miraculously burned for eight days. To celebrate the victory and the miracle, Hanukkah candles or lamps are lit for eight nights amid gatherings of family and friends.

* Families are invited to welcome the first night of Hanukkah on Sunday with family festivities from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. A day of music, family sing-alongs, art projects, special foods, dreidels and more will enliven the day. Recording artists Cindy Paley and Kenny Ellis will lead children in Hanukkah songs at 11:30 a.m. and the day will culminate with the lighting of the first candle at 4 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring canned or packaged food to be donated to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. General admission is $8, $6 for students and senior citizens. There is no charge for Skirball members and children under 12. At 6:30 p.m., the center will host a special live performance and broadcast of the KCRW radio series “Jewish Stories From the Old World to the New,” featuring actors Leonard Nimoy, Elliot Gould and others. Admission is $15. Tickets will be available at the door for both events. Call (310) 440-4500.

* Temple Mishkon Tephilo, 206 Main St., Venice, will host a “Hanukkah Hoedown” on Sunday, beginning with a menorah lighting at 5:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own chanukiahs. There will be a Hanukkah play, face painting for children, traditional foods and line and square dancing later in the evening. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for children 6 to 12, and under 5 free. Call (310) 392-3029.

* Kehillat Israel, 16019 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, will host its annual Hanukkah concert featuring the six-woman a cappella ensemble Vocolot during Shabbat services Friday at 8 p.m. Call (310) 459-2328.

* The holiday season may leave many people feeling alone and vulnerable. The visiting chaplain program of the Southern California Board of Rabbis’ Commission on Chaplaincy attempts to remedy that situation by bringing Hanukkah services to those otherwise unable to attend, including nursing home and hospital patients and inmates in penal institutions. The Jewish Federation funds the program, which includes 25 rabbis from all streams of Judaism. For more information, call (323) 644-2026.

* A special Hanukkah/Shabbat service with three choirs, instrumentalists and Craig Taubman, cantor, will be held at the Adat Ari El Synagogue, 12020 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, at 8 p.m. Friday. The service is recommended for ages 7 and older. Call (818) 766-9426, Ext. 414.

CHRISTMAS

Christians throughout the area will celebrate the birth of Christ on Dec. 25. Many special services and celebrations will be held between now and then:

* Trinity Baptist Church, 1015 California Ave., Santa Monica, will present a Christmas concert and reception today at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. The Trinity Choir and Orchestra will be featured. Tickets are $5. Call (310) 395-9961.

* The Chancel Choir of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and El Camino College Community Choir will present a Christmas concert Sunday at 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s, 301 Avenue D, Redondo Beach. Call (310) 540-5252.

* The origins of many modern customs, such as the Christmas tree and St. Nicholas, will be explored in a celebration at Grace Lutheran Church, 73 N. Hill Ave., Pasadena. The program will feature handbells, choirs, scriptural narrative and storytelling by Miriam Hernandez, KABC television reporter, on Sunday at 7 p.m. Call (626) 792-4169.

* The New Philadelphia African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1902 E. Dominguez St., Carson, will host its first Christmas concert on Sunday at 4 p.m. “Jesus, the Light of the World” will feature the church’s adult and youth choirs and the Men in Action male chorus singing carols and other musical selections. Call (310) 830-8777.

* The First Baptist Church of Pasadena, 75 N. Marengo Ave., will host its 56th annual Candlelight Carol Service on Sunday at 5:45 p.m., featuring the church’s adult and children’s choirs, a brass quartet and a male vocal quartet performing familiar carols and specially arranged anthems. Call (626) 793-7164.

* Dignity/L.A., a community of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Catholics, will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Sunday beginning with a procession at 5:30 p.m. A bilingual Mass and multicultural fiesta will follow. The Dignity Center is at 126 S. Avenue 64, Highland Park. Call (323) 344-8064.

* Christmas carols and a concert by guest organist Edward Murray will highlight an Advent Procession of Lessons at St. James Episcopal Church, 3903 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. A benefit reception will follow. For information, call (213) 388-3015.

* Brookins African Methodist Episcopal Church, 4831 S. Gramercy Place, Los Angeles, will present its annual Christmas concert featuring the church’s adult, youth and children’s choirs and the Men of Brookins Male Chorus on Sunday at 6 p.m. Call (323) 296-5610.

* Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 585 E. Colorado Blvd., will present its 53rd annual Candlelight and Carols Concert in the church’s sanctuary tonight at 7 p.m., featuring choirs, handbells and the church’s pipe organ. Call (626) 568-2608.

FINALLY

The Sacred Storytellers Network will present a rare enactment of the epics of the Divine King Gilgamesh and the Goddess Inanna, two of the world’s oldest recorded sacred stories, at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, today at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call (714) 567-3695.

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Notices may be mailed for consideration to Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or sent by fax to Southern California File at (213) 237-4712, or by e-mail to religion@latimes.com. Items should arrive two to three weeks before the event and should include pertinent details about the people and organizations with address, phone number, date and time.