Concord To Shine Bright This Hanukkah With Jewish Pride, Rabbi Says

CONCORD, CA — Concord’s public Hanukkah gatherings expect larger than usual crowds this year in a strong statement of Jewish pride and confidence, according to Rabbi Berel Kesselman of Chabad of Concord.

"This Hanukkah, Concord’s seeing a surge in families’ public displays of the holiday and Jewish identity, with many more individuals planning to light their menorahs in visible places, such as their doors or windows," Kesselman said. "It’s a fraught time for the Jewish people, with war in Israel, and with American Jews facing a major rise in antisemitism."

This year, Hanukkah, which is the Festival of Lights, began Thursday evening, Dec. 7 and concludes the Friday, evening, Dec. 15.

While in the past, before the events of Oct. 7, many Jews’ response to frightening developments of antisemitism may have been to hide their Jewishness, the post-Oct. 7 Jewish communal response has bucked all precedents, Kesselman said. Jews are choosing instead to celebrate their identity this Hanukkah with more confidence and resolve, he said.

Chabad of Concord is organizing a public Hanukkah menorah lighting event with a massive 9-foot menorah at The Veranda near the fountains, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. The Grand Community Chanukkah Celebration will feature an array of entertainment for all ages including a magic show by an award-winning magician Dan Chan, music videos, crafts and more, as well as hot chocolate, latkes and doughnuts.

According to Kesselman, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, launched the Hanukkah awareness campaign 50 years ago, in 1973—in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War in Israel—and in the half-century since, the "Festival of Lights" has revitalized widespread observance of Hanukkah and brought it to the mainstream. The Menorah, and indeed Hanukkah—with its universal message of freedom of the human spirit, freedom from tyranny and oppression, and of the ultimate victory of good over evil—has as a result become a part of American culture.

"The Rebbe taught that not only is celebrating Hanukkah a vital part of Jewish life–where it has become a potent point of light and Jewish pride and confidence for American Jews in the fight against darkness and antisemitism–but also represents key American values, namely those of liberty and independence," Kesselman said. "The holiday of Hanukkah underscores the fact that American culture has been enriched by the thriving ethnic cultures which contributed very much, each in its own way, to communal life, both materially and spiritually."

Hanukkah Explained

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, began this year on the evening of Thursday, December 7 and concludes the evening of Friday, December 15. It recalls the victory of a militarily weak but spiritually strong Jewish people, who defeated the Syrian-Greeks who had overrun ancient Israel and sought to impose restrictions on the Jewish way of life and practice. They desecrated and defiled the Holy Temple and the oil prepared for the lighting of the menorah–part of the daily service. Upon defeating their enemies and recapturing the Temple only one jar of undefiled oil was found, enough to burn for one day, but it lasted miraculously for eight. In commemoration, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting an eight-branched candelabrum known as a menorah, adding another candle each night. Today, the holiday carries a universal message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness. Additional information about the Hanukkah holiday is available at Jewishconcord.com/Hanukkah.