Rabbi Josef Langer of Chabad of San Francisco does the “Wild Thing” at a Dec. 13 party and menorah lighting in Union Square. The character, Carol, was sent by the Contemporary Jewish Museum, which is exhibiting the work of Maurice Sendak (“Where the Wild Things Are”) through Jan. 19. photo/courtesy of the contemporary jewish museum
From the State Capitol in Sacramento to a Safeway parking lot in Lafayette to a bowling alley in Cupertino, this year’s multitude of public menorah lightings around Northern California drew crowds of people, some braving bone-chilling temperatures and/or rainstorms. In a sure indicator that these events are more popular than ever, there were no fewer than 25 public menorah lightings locally this Chanukah, which began Dec. 11 and ends Friday, Dec. 18. For more Chanukah photos, visit the “S.F. Bay Area Jewish Life Gallery” at Jweekly.com.
Oakland’s first-ever public menorah lighting in a city park brings a crowd of about 80 to Splash Pad Park (across from the Grand Lake Theater) on a blustery day. photo/andy altman-ohr
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dances with rabbis and Jewish leaders from around the state during the 16th annual Chabad-Lubavitch menorah lighting ceremony Dec. 11 in the Capitol rotunda in Sacramento. photo/chabad.org/sterling franken-steffen
Rabbi Nat Ezray of Congregation Beth Jacob in Redwood City lights the menorah at Latkepalooza at the Peninsula JCC in Foster City.
For additional photos of local Chanukah festivities, vist out SF/Bay Area Jewish Life photo gallery: https://jweekly.com/gallery/jewish-life