Menorah lighting welcomes Hanukkah

Cheers echoed through Fashion Island’s Atrium Court on Tuesday evening as eight-time Olympic medal winner Jason Lezak lit a single branch of the menorah.

More than 150 people attended the Festival of Lights, put on by Newport Beach’s Chabad Jewish Center, to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.

“Hanukkah has always been a really special time in my life,” said Lezak, a swimmer. “For the first time in my 39 years, I get to share it with the whole community.”

Many in the audience held small candles symbolizing their participation in the lighting of the menorah.

“Just as we’ve experienced miracles in the past, may we continue to experience miracles in our lives today,” Rabbi Reuven Mintz said as he recited Jewish blessings in Hebrew just before the first candle was lit.

The eight-day Jewish tradition traces its beginnings to around 167 B.C., when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt and rededicated after it had been destroyed by the Syrian Greeks.

The length of the celebration is based on the oil used for the rededication lasting eight days instead of one, according to Jewish tradition.

Now, thousands of years later, people come together to celebrate the Festival of Lights every winter, Mintz said.

“There are many areas of the world where people are repressed and face challenges,” Mintz said. “This is a time for us to come together as a community and show that a little light dispels so much darkness.”

Philip Levy of Irvine has attended the menorah lighting at Fashion Island for more than a decade. It’s become one of many Hanukkah traditions for his family and friends.

“It’s 2,300 years of tradition,” he said. “It brings the Jewish community together to celebrate our faith.”

Families decorated cookies and created sparkling pictures of menorahs and dreidels using sand art during the event.

For those of the Jewish faith, Hanukkah is not only a celebration of tradition and philanthropy, but also an opportunity to appreciate time with family and friends.

While many families have their own Hanukkah traditions, treats like latkes and doughnuts play a large part in the celebration of the holiday.

The oil used to fry the doughnuts is another symbol of the oil used keep the menorah lit for eight days.

“You eat them as often as you can during the eight days,” said Chani Mintz, wife of the rabbi.