Lighting up the season

On each night of Hanukkah for the past 30 years, Rabbi Mark Miller of Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach has lit a candle on a special menorah made out of barbed wire.

The menorah was a gift from a man who survived the concentration camps of the Holocaust. He later vowed to devote his life to making holy things that produce light.

“The message is that the light of Hanukkah and the light of God, faith and truth can illuminate our planet,” Miller said. “It is always ordained that we light these lights in the darkness to demonstrate the power of light to banish darkness.”

Hanukkah began at sundown Friday. The Jewish holiday commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, after it was desecrated by an army from the Seleucid Empire of Syria. According to Jewish tradition, there was only enough consecrated oil after the battle to light the menorah in the temple for one night, but it miraculously lasted for eight days.

The holiday is a celebration of light, as well as triumph over adversity, said Rabbi Reuven Mintz of the Newport Beach Chabad Center.

“Hanukkah is a symbol of hope and freedom over darkness and decency triumphing over destruction,” Mintz said.

The Newport Beach Chabad Center will mark the holiday at 3 p.m. Sunday, by lighting a 6-foot-tall menorah adorned with sea shells at Fashion Island.

The Fashion Island program will feature a performance by illusionist Amos Lev.

Gifts, arts and crafts projects, face painting, balloon animals and a special performance by the Hebrew Academy Children’s Choir will also be part of the free event.

Participants may bring unwrapped gifts for underprivileged children.

“People shouldn’t underestimate what even a small flame can do to chase away the vast darkness,” Mintz said.

At Temple Isaiah in Newport Beach, the congregation gathered to eat a traditional meal of potato latkes and brisket Friday to celebrate the first night of the holiday.

A history buff, Rabbi Marc Rubenstein loves to teach his congregation more about the history behind the Hanukkah.

Playing the game “Jewpardy,” similar to the game show “Jeopardy,” only with questions about Jewish culture and history, has become part of the holiday tradition at Temple Isaiah.

“With faith and fact, we try to put life together and how it relates to today,” Rubenstein said. “The main thing is to have fun, teach and reinforce one’s faith. It’s a very positive holiday.”

Hanukkah Facts

 Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights.

 A single candle is lit during each of the eight nights of the holiday, along with an extra candle called a Shamash, meaning guard or servant.

 All nine of the Hanukkah candles are lit on the eighth night of the holiday.

 Hanukkah traditions include eating foods fried in oil such as latkes and doughnuts.

 Hanukkah gelt, or small monetary gifts, are often given to children during the holiday.