Hanukkah Events

* The Jewish Community Center of Orange County will present the Hanukkah musical “Miracles Aren’t Magic” at 6 this evening. The JCC Youth Department’s Shabbat Musical Theater group will perform. Tickets are $6 for members and $8 for others. The center is at 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa. (714) 755-0340.

* Temple Bat Yahm will offer Hanukkah services at 5:30 this evening and Monday evening. There will be a Hanukkah dinner at 6 p.m. Sunday and another service at 7 p.m. Friday. The temple is at 1011 Camelback St., Newport Beach. (949) 644-1999.

* The musical comedy “Maccabee Miracles” will be presented at 7 this evening and 10 a.m. Sunday at Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’alot. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for children.

* A Community Hanukkah party will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. There will be potato latkes, jelly doughnuts, live music, a grab-bag gift exchange, plus a holiday sing-along and magic show. Cost is $8 for adults and $3 for children ($5/$3 in advance). Grab-bag participants must bring a gift valued up to $5. The congregation is at 3652 Michelson Drive, Irvine. (949) 857-2226.

* Congregation Adat Israel will have its annual Hanukkah party at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The program will include a menorah-lighting ceremony, dinner and entertainment. On Wednesday, there will be another menorah lighting ceremony at 7:30 p.m. at the Westminster Mall. The congregation is at 5052 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach. (714) 846-2285.

* Guest speaker Hallie Lerman will discuss her book “Crying for Imma: Battling for the Soul on the Golan Heights” at 8:15 p.m. Friday, the last night of Hanukkah, at Congregation B’nai Tzedek. The book tells the story of Lerman’s cousin Jacob Rayman, who died in the Yom Kippur War. The congregation is at 9669 Talbert Ave., Fountain Valley. (714) 963-4611.

* The Hebrew Academy’s Early Childhood Center preschool and kindergarten children will present a Hanukkah entertainment program from 10 to 11 a.m. Sunday. The children will sing and share cookies they baked in class. The academy is at 14401 Willow Lane, Westminster. (714) 898-0051.

* The Rev. Suzanne T. Black will speak on “A Minor Holiday--Hanukkah” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Unitarian Universalist Church of South County. An early-bird discussion will take place at 9:30 a.m. The church is at 25801 Obrero Drive, #7, Mission Viejo. (949) 581-0245.

* Temple IJC Reform Congregation will host a free community Hanukkah party at 4 p.m. Sunday. There will be games, crafts and a social hour. A second-night candle lighting will take place at sundown, followed by a buffet. Finally, there will be Israeli dancing, stories and songs. The temple is at 30 Hughes Ste. 200, Irvine. (949) 829-5880.

* Temple Aviv Judea Messianic Synagogue will present “Light a Candle for Hanukkah” at 8 this evening followed by a potluck and gift exchange. Regular services begin at 5:30 p.m. The congregation is at 815 S. Esplanade Ave., Orange. (949) 581-0716.

* The Chabad Chai Center will have its fifth annual Community Hanukkah Celebration at 6 p.m. Sunday. A giant menorah candle lighting ceremony will take place. There will also be live music, latkes, clowns, a Dreidel House, refreshments and more. The Chai Center is at 33 Creek Road, No. 320., Irvine. (949) 786-5000.