Congregation Tikvat Jacob Kicks off Hanukkah

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. - Hundreds of South Bay and Beach Cities Jews feasted on jelly doughnuts, spun tops called “dreidels,” and sang Jewish songs on December 10 to celebrate the start of the Hanukkah holiday.

Hanukkah at The Point in El Segundo – one of the South Bay’s largest annual Hanukkah celebrations – kicked off the eight-night Jewish holiday, which begins Tuesday, December 12. Hanukkah commemorates the ancient military victory of the Jewish Maccabees and includes traditions such as “dreidel,” a game involving a top, and festive eats, including “sufganiyot” (jelly doughnuts).

“Hanukkah is our holiday that celebrates the triumph of the powerless over the powerful, dignity over degradation, light over darkness - a message that I think is quite relevant in 2017,” said Rabbi Joshua Kalev from Congregation Tikvat Jacob, the Manhattan Beach temple that hosts Hanukkah at The Point.

Sharona Atkins, a Redondo Beach resident, brought her two 4-year-old boys to the event to showcase the Jewish holiday spirit, which is often overshadowed by the prevalence of Christmas. Her sons crafted menorahs out of uncooked noodles as Hanukkah songs played in the background.

“I like to make latkes. We light the candles, and we play dreidel,” Atkins said.

Jews celebrate Hanukkah by eating fried foods, such as doughnuts and potato pancakes called “latkes,” to commemorate the oil that was found in the temple after the Maccabean victory and miraculously burned for eight days. Jews also light an eight-branched candelabra called a “menorah” to symbolize this miracle.

“We are supposed to make sure that the light of Hanukkah is spread throughout the world by making sure others enjoy the freedoms that we, the Jewish people, enjoy today,” Kalev said.