On Sunday night, the final Hanukkah candle was lit on menorahs around Orange County, illuminating the candelabrum in its full splendor of eight lights.
The Jewish Festival of Lights has been celebrated each night of Hanukkah with the lighting of another candle, and Orange County’s Jewish community has shared the tradition with the public, with menorah lighting ceremonies from the San Clemente pier to the Yorba Linda Community Center throughout this past week.
On Sunday, the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Newport Beach hosted an afternoon of fun and games, with a chocolate gelt drop from a firetruck ladder, activities for children, treats for all and a concert.
Hanukkah began with the setting of the sun on Dec. 14; news broke locally that morning about a mass shooting at a celebration in Australia on Bondi Beach that killed 15 people.
“In moments like these, when fear and uncertainty feel so close to the surface, gatherings like this Hanukkah celebration take on an even deeper meaning,” said Rabbi Reuven Mintz of Chabad Center for Jewish Life. “Hanukkah is the timeless response to darkness: we don’t retreat and we don’t allow fear to define us. We come together to increase light, unity, and hope.”
Mintz also emphasized that his event wasn’t only for Jews, but for everyone in the community.
“It’s a reminder that the light grows when it’s shared,” he added.
On Sunday, hundreds came together at the center nestled over Newport Back Bay to take part in the final menorah lighting, which Mintz called “especially powerful.”
“Each night the light increases and on the final night, the menorah shines at its fullest, symbolizing resilience and the cumulative impact of many small acts of goodness,” he said. “Holding the celebration on this night sends a clear message that every person can be a lamplighter. When communities come together with purpose, courage, and compassion, darkness never has the final word.”