The late fall 50-degree chill in the air couldn’t keep dozens of bundled-up people from celebrating the Downtown Chanukah Candlelighting at the Third Street Promenade in Morgan Hill Tuesday. The lighting of the menorah on the seventh night of Chanukah was sponsored by Congregation Emeth.
Susan Meyers, president of the congregation, said she was pleased with the first public candlelighting in the community.
“I asked (Morgan Hill Mayor) Steve Tate if this was something that we could do,” she said. “A lot of the big cities do have a candlelighting: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York. He said he would love to have it and he would attend.”
As he addressed the crowd, Mayor Tate said the event is a positive addition to the sense of community, and thanked Meyers for bringing the celebration to the South Valley.
“This is a great idea to bring this to our town and community,” Tate said. “Thank you for getting this started.”
The cool air was warmed by the singing of the Congregation Emeth Children’s Chorus, led by soloist Angela Gold, after Rabbi Debbie Israel told the story of Chanukah.
Gold, originally from St. Louis, Mo., now resides in Santa Clara, and has been singing in synagogues since 1994. Her lively guitar and vocals inspired the group clustered around the lit menorahs to join in with laughter during “I Am a Latke,” a melodic look at the life of a latke (potato pancake) waiting to be served at Chanukah; just one in a list of inspirational, fun and folk selections.
Children decked out in animal-eared hats – shielding them against the cold – danced and sang by the light of the menorahs, lit by students of the Congregation Emeth School following a Hebrew prayer.
The gathering was to celebrate Chanukah (Hanukkah), also known as The Festival of Lights, which is a Jewish commemoration of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Syrian-Greeks during the 2nd century.
Chanukah is observed for eight days and eight nights, and is signified by the lighting of a candle on the menorah each night. The candles symbolize the eight nights that a day’s worth of oil miraculously lit the Temple’s golden menorah, which allowed enough time for more oil to be prepared.
The Jewish faith has many family-oriented traditions that coincide with the holiday.
Dreidel is a game played during Chanukah in which players either give or take from a pot of money, chocolate, raisins or matchsticks, depending on which letter is shown when spun on the dreidel: a four-sided, wooden or plastic top-like toy with a Hebrew letter on each side. The letters stand for the Hebrew phrase, “A great miracle happened here.”
Ideally, all monetary winnings are given to tzedakah, or charity, and are matched by children’s parents or participants, so that everyone wins and the gifts can be shared by those in need.
Rebekah Latin, 6, of Morgan Hill, said Dreidel is her favorite Chanukah game. The winnings are nut-free gelt – chocolate coins, which are an Amazon special order, said her mother, Susan Latin, as she explained Rebekah’s nut allergy.
The traditions aren’t just fun and games. Food is a serious matter. Recipes are symbolic of the events being celebrated with oil as a prominent ingredient.
When asked what her favorite Chanukah food is, Rebekah said, “I like latkes. I had two.”
That was seconded by Morgan Hill’s Quinn Neto, 13, who said that he could eat 12.
Michael Nehamkin, 14, had a different spin on his favorite. Chuckchuckah is a cracker spread made with tomatoes and seasonings. When asked how it is served, the Morgan Hill teenager offered this cooking advice: “You can eat it hot or cold.”
Morgan Hill’s 16-year-old Marisa Nehamkin’s delicacy of choice are after-dinner, fresh jelly doughnuts, which are considered among the most popular dessert items during Chanukah.
Rabbi Israel rounded out the occasion with inspirational words, citing famous people unafraid to stand up for their religious beliefs, and encouraged the crowd to be Maccabees and heroes in their everyday lives.
Becky Neto, vice president of the congregation, added that Congregation Emeth wants it to become a regular celebration for everyone.
“We are hopeful this will become an annual event that brings people from the South Valley (together),” she said.
The last song of the evening was appropriately titled, “Light One Candle.” The chorus sang, “Don’t let the light go out,” while cool breezes flickered menorah candles, and hearts were warmed.
Kelly Sinon can be reached at
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