Piedmont’s Kehilla congregation celebrating Hanukkah till Monday
Kids already enjoyed picnic at Lake Temescal, and party for people of color is set for Sunday
PIEDMONT >> Though not a major Jewish holiday, Hanukkah will see more than 8 million Jews in over 100 countries worldwide celebrating with food, family, small gifts and community.
Hanukkah began Sunday at sunset and will end Monday at nightfall. This Festival of Lights tells the story of the Maccabees, an army of Jewish rebels in 164 B.C. that revolted against Antiochus IV, a Greek king in the Seleucid Empire who was persecuting Jews.
As the story goes, the Maccabees only had enough oil to light their sevenpronged menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days, leading to what became the eight days of Hanukkah. The original menorah lit in Jerusalem’s Second Temple had seven candle prongs, but the menorah used today in Jewish homes has nine prongs, with the middle one called the shammash. Interestingly, Hanukkah is the only Jewish holiday not mentioned in the 24 books of the canonical Hebrew Bible because the canon was sealed, according to the Jewish holy book the Talmud, by the Men of the Great Assembly, who lived nearly 300 years before the Hanukkah miracle.
Jews during Hanukkah are encouraged to place their menorahs in the front windows of their homes so that others can witness their celebration. Michael Saxe-Taller, executive director of Piedmont’s Kehilla Community Synagogue, lit a menorah in his driveway Sunday night in Berkeley.
“We have a few nights to get together with friends and extended family. It’s about being together with neighbors up and down the block. A couple of them were Jewish,” Saxe-Taller said.
And the 500-member Kehilla congregation is staging activities to celebrate. First, a “getting ready for Hanukkah” picnic occurred Sunday for children 5 or younger at Lake Temescal with snacks, dreidel painting, music and a puppet show. That evening, a virtual Hanukkah party for all ages took place that included candle lighting and blessings, songs, latkes, dancing and dreidel games.
Dreidels are four-sided little tops inscribed with Hebrew letters on each side used for a children’s game
during Hanukkah. Latkes are traditional Jewish potato pancakes served with applesauce. On Tuesday, the third night of Hanukkah, menorah candles were lit in Kehilla’s courtyard, where there were singing and savoring of sufganiyot, Hanukkah jelly doughnuts.
“It’s important to be together after these many months apart” due to the pandemic, Saxe-Taller said.
Other modest gatherings occurred on successive days. On Sunday, the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, there will be a gathering for Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) in the Kehilla courtyard, where latkes will be provided and traditional potluck foods encouraged. The synagogue is following all COVID-19 protocols for its events.
Piedmont resident Rick Schiller said he’s not especially observant in Judaism “though at my core I feel Jewish. My celebration is largely limited to eating potato latkes at my sister’s. I light candles and say a single prayer. When I was growing up, there was more celebration and family lighting of the candles nightly. I would get little gifts, which is the tradition. Hanukkah is a special, meaningful and happy Jewish holiday, and for that I’m thankful, especially in these COVID and troubled times.”
Nearby, Chabad of Alameda honored the holiday in a park Sunday with the lighting of a 7-foot menorah built with Lego blocks. Traditional chocolate gelt coins were passed, and child-friendly activities include juggling, balloons and “make your own menorah.”
“The menorah reminds us of the unity that makes us strong,” Chabad of Alameda Rabbi Meir Shmotkin said. “The flames of the menorah shine out into the night, reminding us of the faith that unites us as a people and sharing a message of freedom of religion for all.”
Back in Piedmont, Rabbi Dev Noily of Kehilla was on sabbatical and not available to comment. Saxe-Taller believes Hanukkah’s proximity to Christmas and “people stretching to try to be inclusive has led to more awareness of Hanukkah.”