Ashland Plaza menorah lighting set for Dec. 25, the first day of Hanukkah

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

With nightly menorah lightings, gift giving and delicious fried foods to try, the Hanukkah season is soon approaching, and an Ashland synagogue and a Rogue Valley Jewish center will host community events to celebrate the holiday.

The Havurah Shir Hadash synagogue will host Hanukkah Fest, and the Chabad of Southern Oregon will host multiple holiday events celebrating Hanukkah.

“Our Hanukkah Fest, we do it every year,” said Ayala Zonnenschein, executive director of the Havurah synagogue and an organizer of the festival. “I’ve been here for 23 years, and we’ve been doing it since I was here, and since the Havurah started.”

Hanukkah Fest is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Havurah synagogue, 185 N. Mountain Ave., Ashland. The event is free and open to the public to celebrate the holiday.

Hanukkah Fest will include plenty of activities and crafts, as well as delicious food to sample.

“The children will be able to roll beeswax candles for the Hanukkah menorah, and there’ll probably be another craft table as well that we’re working on,” Zonnenschein said. “And there will be a table for playing dreidel.”

Food will be provided by Greenleaf Restaurant, with dinner and treats such as hot potato latkes available for purchase.

“There will be a Hanukkah gift shop with things like candles, menorahs, toys and gifts,” Zonnenschein said.

The festivities will culminate with the Hanukkah candle lighting led by Rabbi David Zaslow, who will also lead songs of the holiday.

“Then (Devorah Zaslow) will tell a children’s story related to Hanukkah,” Zonnenschein said.

Organizers are hoping for a turnout of 75 to 100 people for Hanukkah Fest.

“It is a beautiful celebration; Hanukkah has eight nights and we do different things on different nights and people get together in homes and for community gatherings like we’re doing with Hanukkah Fest for people to join,” Zonnenschein said. “It’s kind of like other faith traditions and it brings light in the darkest season.”

Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates and commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem from 167 to 160 B.C.E and reaffirms the ideals of Judaism.

“Hanukkah itself, the historical celebration, is about religious freedom; it was the first battle fought in history for freedom of religion, which we won,” Zonnenschein said, referencing the Maccabean Revolt.

Outside of Hanukkah Fest, hosted by the Havurah synagogue, there will be many more Hanukkah events and celebrations organized by the Chabad of Southern Oregon.

The Chabad will host multiple menorah lightings in Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass, bringing its 10-foot menorah candle for all to see and celebrate.

“Hanukkah is a holiday that enriches our lives with the light of tradition” said Rabbi Avi Zwiebel, director of the Chabad Jewish Center with his wife, Faigy, in a news release. “In ancient times our ancestors rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem with the Menorah. Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place. Hanukkah propagates the universal message that ultimately good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression and light over darkness. Today, this message is needed more than ever.

“With the rise of antisemitism, our response to hatred of any kind must never be to cower or hide our identity,” Zwiebel said in the release. “The story of Hanukkah is the tremendous power of light to overcome darkness. We can have no better response to negativity we encounter than to gather together in even greater numbers and celebrate the light of the menorah in public. Today, this message is needed more than ever.”

The menorah lighting in Ashland will be at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 25, at the Plaza in downtown Ashland.

In Medford, the lighting is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29, at the Village at the Medford Center.

At 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, Chabad organizers will be in Grants Pass with Mayor Sara Bristol at the Waterfront Pavilion to light the menorah.

The lightings will include music, traditional Hanukkah foods, a pop-up store and more.

The Chabad will also host its yearly New York Jewish Pop-Up Deli event from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, at the Chabad Center at 1474 Siskiyou Blvd. in Ashland.

People are invited to try out authentic New York pastrami sandwiches with latkes and donuts, and listen to Hanukkah music. Other menu items include matzo ball soup and kugel.

Those interested can preorder items at chabadofashland.org/deli.

Jewish Voice for Peace, a nationwide group that has a chapter in Ashland, will host a Hanukkah gathering on Jan. 1, the final night of Hanukkah, from 5 to 9 p.m. in Talent. Attendees are invited to bring a potluck dish to share, a menorah and candles. All are welcome, Jewish or not. The location will be shared by email with those who RSVP by clicking here. For more information, send an email to roguevalley@jewishvoiceforpeace.org or roguevalley@jvp.org.

Reach reporter James Sloan at jsloan@rv-times.com. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times. Additional text from a news release from Chabad Jewish Center has been added.

Dec. 20: Information about the Jewish Voice for Peace event added.