By Charly SHELTON

Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights held at the end of the year in the Hebrew calendar. It is a time of prayer, feasting and lighting the menorah. And, in the Crescenta Valley, one celebratory event invites people of every faith to come and share in the revelry. Hanukkah in the Foothills returns this year on Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge in Tujunga.

“This is our third annual Hanukkah in the Foothills and not only is it a free event where we invite everybody to bring friends and family, but during the program we’re going to share the inspirational story of Hanukkah. We’re going to have games and prizes for adults and kids and there’s going to be dancing and lots of song,” said Karen von Gunten, volunteer organizer with the Sunland-Tujunga Arts, Recreation and Culture Committee, that hosts the event.

Hanukkah commemorates a miracle that took place in the 2nd century BC in Judea. The land of Israel was under the rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Seleucid King of Syria. He, unlike his benevolent father, outlawed Judaism and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. In 168 BC, his troops entered Jerusalem, massacred its people and defiled the city’s holy Second Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus to whom he sacrificed pigs. A large-scale rebellion broke out, led by Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons. One son, Judah “The Hammer” Maccabee, succeeded his father after his death in 166 BC and two years later the Syrians had been driven out of Jerusalem.

The Maccabees, Judah’s troops and followers, set about cleansing the Second Temple through ancient ritual purity rites. One necessity in ancient purity rites was the burning of a menorah every night, using high-quality blessed olive oil. There was only one jar left, a one-day supply of oil, untainted by the Syrians when the Jews took the temple back. The miracle of Hanukkah was that the oil lasted for eight nights, allowing time for more consecrated oil to be found.

Families celebrate Hanukkah each year on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, this year falling on Dec. 2. Hanukkah in the Foothills will take place on the last night of Hanukkah, Dec. 10, as a grand finale party. In addition to the games, prizes and the story of Hanukkah being told, there will be traditional Hanukkah foods like doughnuts and latkes, all fried in oil to represent the holy consecrated oil from the temple.

“The message of Hanukkah is pretty powerful. It really emphasizes overcoming obstacles with strength, hope and persistence. So, especially today, in 2018, we feel this is an important message,” von Gunten said. “The event has grown bigger and bigger because now we welcome all comers – not just Jewish people – so that people can join us and it becomes more multicultural every year. In fact, it has grown so large that we have moved it to the Elks Lodge this year so we can accommodate everybody.”

The event is free to attend, but it is advised to arrive early as space limitations have turned people away in the previous two years.

The Elks Lodge is located at 10137 Commerce Ave. in Tujunga.

  Charly Shelton