{"id":191979,"date":"2025-12-18T22:10:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/191979\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T22:10:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:10:11","slug":"los-gatos-celebrates-hanukkah-on-main-los-gatan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/191979\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Gatos celebrates Hanukkah on Main\u00a0 | Los Gatan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>BRIMMING PLAZA – A crowd of roughly 350-400 (per LGMSPD) celebrated the start of Hanukkah at Plaza Park, Sunday evening. A heavy police presence was evident and reassuring to the attendees. (Dinah Cotton \/ Los Gatan)<\/p>\n

The \u201cHanukkah on Main\u201d gathering at sundown on Main Street, Sunday, for the ceremonial lighting of the menorah, was a peaceful event.<\/p>\n

The first candle was lit, representing divine light and the miracle of Hanukkah. The menorah symbolizes Jewish identity, history and core beliefs.<\/p>\n

The news of the unprovoked deadly attack of others celebrating \u201cHanukkah by the Sea\u201d at Bondi Beach, Australia, was acknowledged and hung in the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sunday, an unprovoked attack killed 15 people in the suburb of Sydney. These individuals were also celebrating the start of Hanukkah. According to Australian authorities, a father, aged 50, and a son, aged 24, fired high-powered firearms into the crowd. Krissy Barrett, the federal police commissioner, said on Tuesday it was \u201ca terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State.\u201d The father was shot dead at the scene, and the son was being treated in a hospital at press time.<\/p>\n

And while it had happened on the opposite side of the globe, the Bondi Beach terrorist attack was noted at the Los Gatos event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Hanukkah, we rededicate ourselves to the work of ensuring a safer world for our young people, for our Jewish community, and for all of us,\u201d said Tami Segal, emcee for the Sunday evening event at Park Plaza. \u201cWe hold fast to our values, and we stand steadfast in confronting hatred wherever it appears.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"menorahJOY & OPTIMISM \u2013 Voices were lifted in hope and unity during the ceremonial lighting of the first menorah candle.
(Dinah Cotton \/ Los Gatan)<\/p>\n

It seemed that each and every person who attended this outdoor ceremony echoed these sentiments shared by Segal, who serves as the family engagement manager for Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center Los Gatos.<\/p>\n

There was a heavy police presence, as additional precautions were taken in the wake of the Bondi Beach carnage. The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department received thanks by Segal\u2014and others\u2014for their protective efforts. Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Chief Jamie Field and Capt. Rebecca Albin were present.<\/p>\n

The Los Gatos Hanukkah on Main Street Sunday evening was a safe, festive and family-friendly community event. After the first candle was lit, the menorah was moved to the lobby of the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center APJCC Los Gatos. That\u2019s where the additional candles will be lit through nightfall on Dec. 22.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the Hanukkah on Main celebration, Jewish Silicon Valley Chief Executive Officer Daniel Klein sought to reassure the local Jewish community about the security measures in place in Los Gatos. \u201cI know many of you are thinking about your own security and that of the broader Jewish community,\u201d he stated in an email blast.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a comprehensive security plan in place that utilizes both visible measures and less visible measures to ensure everyone\u2019s safety. We are constantly and proactively training our staff, funding communal security initiatives, and working with community partners. In addition, we actively review our security protocols in consultation with security experts and with advice from law enforcement at various levels, and we are always closely in touch with the Los Gatos Monte-Sereno Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and experts about the broader security landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BandCHILLY TEMPS \u2013 Due to the cool weather, the group \u201cBand Aid\u201d bundled up and rocked on.
(Dinah Cotton \/ Los Gatan)<\/p>\n

He also wrote that, while there will be time for conversations about \u201chow the normalization of antisemitism in our schools, government, and society can lead to this type of violence against Jews,\u201d the Festival of Lights is not a time to let \u201cthose who wish us harm\u201d to silence the Jewish community or force its members into hiding.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, in the heart of Downtown Los Gatos, we will light the first candle carrying the sadness of our people in Australia and at the same time, we will celebrate the victory of the Maccabees,\u201d he said. \u201cTonight, and for the rest of Hanukkah, let us light our Hanukkah candles and place them proudly in our windows.\u201d<\/p>\n

VIP attendees at the event included State Senator Josh Becker, Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, Mayor Rob Moore and Vice Mayor Maria Ristow, Councilmember Matthew Hudes and Town Manager Chris Constantin.<\/p>\n

Mayor Moore gave a speech and was cheered on by former Mayor Hudes. The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police estimated the crowd to be around 350. This respectful and joyous crowd also joined in with applause, strongly supporting this optimistic address.<\/p>\n

Several community members were given honors for being \u201cLights of the Community\u201d at the event, including: Michal Strutin, Judy Levy, Jen Orrin, Lindsay Roller, Shelley Kunin and Jeff Warwick.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Hugh-Seid Valencia, chief community officer for Jewish Silicon Valley, lit the first candle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The crowd cheered and sang along with a traditional song, binding Town Plaza Park together in a spirit of solidarity.<\/p>\n

An outstanding rock band named \u201cBand Aid\u201d (AKA \u201cPlaster Rock\u201d) heated up the cool evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Candles will be lit in the lobby of the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center every weekday, Dec. 15-19, at 4pm.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BRIMMING PLAZA – A crowd of roughly 350-400 (per LGMSPD) celebrated the start of Hanukkah at Plaza Park,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":191980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[29064,631,109873,103939,109874,42,1899,109875,43,7319,109876,94892,40,38,41,39,109877],"class_list":["post-191979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-bondi-beach","tag-community","tag-daniel-klein","tag-hanukkah","tag-hanukkah-on-main","tag-headlines","tag-judaism","tag-los-gatos-monte-sereno-police-department","tag-news","tag-religion","tag-tami-segal","tag-terrorist-attack","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-town-plaza-park"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}