CELEBRATION, REFLECTION AT MENORAH LIGHTING
Rabbi Zaklos: `This menorah is a symbol of what America stands for'
The symbolism of Chanukah was deeply felt by those gathered at the menorah lighting in Downtown Vacaville.
Commencing the first night of the Jewish celebration, Rabbi Chaim Zaklos was joined by many local government members offering solidarity and friendship to the Jewish community. The evening allowed for a range of emotions, at times a joyous celebration of family and community, and at others a somber reflection of global atrocities.
As the gathered crowd waited for sunset and the lighting to begin, Zaklos encouraged all to enjoy the hot beverages, donuts and potato latkes provided. Kids dressed in dreidel costumes were kept entertained by Draco the Juggler, a circus artist juggling an array of objects.
Zaklos prefaced the evening by thanking sponsors including Gordon's Music and Sound, Citizen's Financial, Bonnie Falk of Gateway Realty, Travis Credit Union and the Jelly Belly Company. He also thanked government officials for attending, chief among them being Mayor John Carli, County Supervisor John Vasquez and Congressman Mike Thompson's field representative, Kimberly Fu.
The rabbi announced this evening was a double celebration of his son's bar mitzvah, which everyone was invited to directly following the lighting.
“It was exactly 13 years ago on a rainy first night of Chanukah that we lit the menorah right here while my wife was giving birth at Kaiser,” Zaklos said, adding that it was the only year that his wife missed the event in the 15 years they've held it in Vacaville.
In recognition of his official entry into adulthood, Zaklos invited his son, Mendel, to join him and Mayor John Carli as they rang in the celebrations of Chanukah and all eight nights.
All three ascended to the top of the menorah via a lift as Zaklos announced Carli would light the shamash. The lighting was briefly halted due to a faulty lighter and the damp conditions following the day's weather.
“It's not easy to bring light into the dark world we're in,” Zaklos said.
A new lighter was soon procured and the menorah was suc
cessfully lit to the cheers of onlookers. As part of Mendel's official entrance into the Jewish faith as an adult, Zaklos gave the microphone to him to sing the blessing.
It was a meaningful moment for those gathered and many were moved to tears at the youthful introduction to Chanukah.
Following the lighting, Zaklos expressed his gratitude for Carli and “his genuine kind-heartedness and his dear love for the Jewish community, the likes of which I have not seen anywhere else.”
Carli, who has made a point to attend all 15 years of Vacaville's Menorah lightings, thanked the rabbi for his stewardship in the community. “Your community is our community,” the mayor said. “It means the world to me that you will all come out in celebration. I want you to know how much I, and all of Vacaville, are here to support the Jewish community.”
“One people under God, this is what America is all about,” Zaklos said after thanking the mayor for his kind words. “This menorah is a symbol of what America stands for. The victory of Chanukah is not unlike the freedoms that we celebrate here in America, the freedom of every person to celebrate their religious connection to God as they see fit and as their tradition is passed down in their family.”
The evening shifted again into dancing and music as Zaklos encouraged all to join in a dance led by his nephew. Two separate groups formed by participants linking hands, one of which exuberantly circled the lit menorah.
Attendee Larry Corman said he's come to this lighting every year since it started. “It's nice to have a sense of Jewish community. I've known the rabbi since he first arrived and he's very welcoming; everyone loves him,” Corman said. “He's been instrumental in doing something that hasn't been done before.”