As tragedy strikes Australia, Placer County Jewish community gathers for Hanukkah
Members of the Placer County, Roseville and Sacramento Jewish communities gathered Sunday night to kick off the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Community members munched on jelly-filled donuts, sang songs and decorated crafts as a large menorah was lit near the food court inside the Westfield Galleria mall in Roseville.
“It is a very special time to be able to celebrate together and kindle the first light of the menorah tonight as we usher in the holiday,” Rabbi Yossi Korik, executive director of Chabad of Placer County, told the dozens of people who gathered for the event.
According to Rabbi Korik, this year marks the 21st year Chabad of Placer County has hosted a menorah lighting ceremony at Westfield Galleria.
But this year’s celebration is not without a touch of sadness — or even fear. Hours earlier, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah by the Sea celebration near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing at least 16 people including a rabbi and a holocaust survivor.
The shooting, described as a terrorist attack by Australian police, comes amid increasing incidents of antisemitism worldwide and — despite occurring on the other side of the world — still hits home for many Jews.
Rabbi Korik says the attack and other instances of antisemitism cannot be a deterrent to the Jewish community though.
“Our Jewish community felt that it was of even greater importance to come together in large numbers,” he said, “to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity and as a resilient reminder of our commitment to bring light into the world.”
To the Jewish community, Hanukkah is a festival of light. According to Rabbi Korik, the festival honors a time when faced with an oppressive regime, Jews were able to reclaim their holy temple. The story goes that once the temple was reclaimed, they went to light the menorah with an oil supply that should’ve only lasted one day, but miraculously it lasted for eight days.
In celebration of that miracle, every year Hanukkah is observed by lighting one candle of the menorah each night for eight days, until all the candles are lit. The celebrators in Sydney, Australia, which is 19 hours ahead of California, were among the first people celebrating the holiday this year.
“This is how the holiday was brought in for the entire world this year,” Rabbi Korik said, “so I think for the rest of us who are continuing to usher in that light, it is upon us to stand strong and resilient and really commit ourselves in an even greater way to shining that light in an even greater measure than it has ever been before.”
Also in attendance at the menorah lighting were Placer County Supervisors Bonnie Gore and Suzanne Jones, as well as Jason Feldman, the assistant general manager at Westfield Galleria.
“I want you to know that you are our brothers and sisters,” Bonnie Gore told the crowd, “and regardless of our religion, we both love God, and I want you, our Jewish friends, to know that we love and respect you.”
Chabad of Placer County will be hosting other events throughout the week to celebrate the holiday:
- Tuesday, Dec. 16: Chabad will host a “Women’s Chanukah Night Out” at 4700 East Roseville Parkway at 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 18: A community menorah lighting will be held at Pebble Creek Park in Rocklin at 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 20: A public menorah lighting will be held at Whole Foods in Roseville at 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 21: Chabad of Placer County will celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 4700 East Roseville Parkway.
