Celebrities to Light Menorah at Hanukkah Festival in Valley

An 18-foot menorah, one of the largest in Southern California, will be lighted by a bevy of celebrities Sunday through Thursday to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Radio talk show hosts Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Dennis Prager, Texas Ranger outfielder Gabe Kapler, U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and actor Kelsey Grammer are among those who will participate in the holiday festival at the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus, 22622 Vanowen St., West Hills.

The festival, which begins at 5 p.m. Sunday and 5:45 p.m. the rest of the week, will also feature live music, children’s shows, latkes, clowns, jugglers, magicians and balloons. These events will take place concurrently with the Jewish Expo 2000, which bills itself as the world’s largest and most extensive traveling Jewish children’s museum. In addition, the expo will feature an opportunity to press olives for oil, make colored candles for the menorah and learn about Hanukkah traditions. (818) 991-0991.

Other Hanukkah events include the following:

* Hanukkah and Human Rights Day will be celebrated with candle-lighting, musical performances and services Friday at 8 p.m. at the Wilshire Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Elaine Aikins, cantorial soloist from Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf, will perform. Jim “Mudcat” Grant and other elders of the Negro baseball leagues will be honored. In addition, congregants and guests are asked to provide clothing for earthquake victims in Turkey. (818) 981-0798.

* The Skirball Cultural Center will celebrate the third night of Hanukkah on Sunday with a family festival featuring sing-alongs, children’s theater, storytelling, art projects and rededication of its museum galleries. The festival begins at 11 a.m. at the center, 2701 North Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500.

HOLIDAY FAIRS

The Church in Ocean Park, 235 Hill St., Santa Monica, will sponsor a holiday jewelry and ethnic crafts fair offering gemstones, black pearls, origami, ceramics, hand-woven fabrics and other items Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. (310) 392-4773.

* Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, 588 Camino Manzanas in Thousand Oaks, will offer a Christmas Mission Market today, featuring gifts by church craftspeople and artisans in developing countries. During the market, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., donations will be accepted to help buy farm animals for needy families, material for Habitat for Humanity homes and medical equipment for the disabled. (805) 492-9456.

* All Saints Episcopal Church, 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena, will sponsor an Alternative Christmas Gift Market from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday. In addition to crafts, the event will offer the opportunity to donate money to help the needy. (626) 583-2734.

* First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., will host Family Fun Day beginning at noon Sunday. Christmas crafts, carols and a potluck lunch will be featured. A $5 donation is requested. (818) 655-6215.

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS

Biola University will present Christmas theater, a fine arts display featuring Wayne Forte, and classical and gospel music Friday and next Saturday at 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada. (562) 906-4546.

* Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church will present a concert of classical music and the story of Christ’s birth, narrated by actor Martin Sheen, at 8 p.m. Thursday. 505 N. Rodeo Drive. (323) 848-9931.

* A concert of Greek Orthodox and traditional carols will be presented Sunday at 6 p.m. at St. Sophia Cathedral, 1324 S. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles. (323) 737-2424.

EVENTS

Starhawk, a pioneer in goddess spirituality and ecofeminism, will offer a ritual to celebrate the millennium Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Philosophical Research Institute, 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles. She will also present a healing workshop on “Being a Shameless, Empowered Woman” using magic, trance, chants, songs, stories, meditation and ritual Dec. 11-12 at the Santa Monica Place Mall. (310) 450-6661.

* Ninian Smart, emeritus professor of religious studies at UC Santa Barbara, will discuss the flourishing spirituality at the turn of the last millennium Monday at 7 p.m. at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara.

* Ananda W.P. Guruge of Hsi Lai University will speak on Theravada Buddhism at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore Annex, 8585 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (626) 571-8811, Ext. 105.

* A new wave of scientific and philosophical research will be discussed by more than 50 scholars in the emerging “Intelligent Design” movement today and Sunday at Biola University, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada. Proponents argue that such discoveries as the DNA double helix and complex molecular structures indicate an intelligent designer of the universe. (562) 944-0351, Ext. 5335.

* Richard l’Anson, photographer of Lonely Planet’s “Sacred India,” will present slides and discussion about daily religious life in India at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the California Map Center, 3312 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 396-6277.

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