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Like many things throughout the past eight months, Hanukkah will look different this year as Jewish congregations in the Tri-Valley adapt their observances amid the health pandemic.
But the feeling of eight-day celebration will remain familiar and the messages it conveys will be just as relevant as ever in 2020, according to local Jewish spiritual leaders.
“Hanukkah is about creating light in dark times. Judaism has always been a religion focused on the possibility of what we can do to bring healing to the world. This year, especially, Hanukkah’s message seems more relevant than ever,” said Rabbi Laurence Elis Milder, of Congregation Beth Emek in Pleasanton.
“Jewish tradition holds that we add one candle to the Menorah each night, a symbol of the victory of hope over despair. Even in the face of this terrible pandemic, we maintain our hope that a brighter day, the defeat of disease and despair, is just around the bend,” he added.
“Chanukah celebrates the miraculous oil that burned for 8 days in the candelabra (Menorah) of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the year 139 B.C.E. This 7-branched candelabra, hammered out of a single piece of metal, is a symbol I hold on to this Chanukah,” Rabbi Raleigh Resnick, of Chabad of the Tri-Valley in Pleasanton, told the Weekly.
“We live in a climate of heightened COVID isolation and societal fragmentation. Many feel detached and lonely. The Temple’s menorah reminds us that our different flames come from our universal oneness. We are not alone. All of us, on the right and on the left, are all fashioned in the image of the Divine and radiate His light. May we feel that unity even as we celebrate apart from each other this year,” he added.
The eight-day Hanukkah holiday begins this Thursday and continues through Dec. 18. Many of the local Hanukkah observances have shifted into an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated county health orders, but there will be some in-person events as well.
Chabad of the Tri-Valley will host its annual Chanukah Wonderland at Stoneridge Shopping Center, re-envisioned for 2020 as an outdoor event on the top floor of the old Sears parking lot this Thursday from 5:30-7 p.m., according to Rabbi Resnick.
Chabad’s Chanukah Dinner Concert event is still on schedule for this Sunday (Dec. 13) from 6-8 p.m., but the venue has shifted from Livermore to Chabad’s parking lot at 3370 Hopyard Road in Pleasanton.
Chabad of the Tri-Valley will also join Chabad Centers throughout Northern California in hosting a mega Chanukah event via www.liveChanukah.com on Monday (Dec. 14) beginning at 6 p.m. To learn more, visit www.JewishTriValley.com.
For Congregation Beth Emek, located at 3400 Nevada Court, all of its Hanukkah observances will be held online and can be viewed at www.bethemek.org/live in light of the pandemic and health concerns.
“Hanukkah candle lighting will be hosted by a different family each night, with each bringing something personal to the congregation’s celebration, including songs, stories and family traditions,” Rabbi Milder said.
Congregation Beth Emek’s annual Shabbat Hanukkah will be held this Friday (Dec. 11) at 8 p.m. and will feature viewing of candle lighting in the decorative Hanukkah menorahs of its congregants homes. Candle lighting will occur at 6:30 p.m. on the other nights of Hanukkah beginning Thursday.
A special Hanukkah celebration with family activities will be held on Saturday (Dec. 12), and Rabbi Milder will be broadcasting a special Hanukkah concert on Monday (Dec. 14) at 1 p.m. via the “Congregation Beth Emek Pleasanton” YouTube page. To learn more, visit www.bethemek.org.
