Chanukah celebration in Menlo Park brings Jewish community together

It was less than 24 hours after the news of a horrifying attack at a similar Menorah lighting in Sydney’s Bondi Beach reverberated around the globe when Menlo Park’s Jewish community gathered in Fremont Park to light the Menorah on December 14.

Together, the 200 community members who assembled had the victims across the ocean in mind and prayed for them to find healing and comfort. The message of the Menorah has always been the resilience of light, and its message could not have been more relevant for a day which bore such difficult news.

The celebration on the first night of Chanukah was arranged by Menlo Chabad. Founded a little over a year ago by Rabbi Dovid and Esty Geisinksy, who moved from Brooklyn, NY with their daughter Luba, Chabad is Menlo Park’s first Jewish center. In the short time since its founding, Menlo Chabad has bolstered the community through a diverse lineup of events and programming.

Families with small children, senior citizens, and young adults — both those with Jewish backgrounds and those from other faiths — filled the park to show support, watch the ceremony, and to grab a Hanukkah treat. The sounds of the traditional blessings and Hanukkah music filled the air, and the smells of donuts and latkes, traditional Hanukkah foods, drifted through the park. And the singular candle marking Hanukkah’s first night shone brightly.

MPPD Chief of Police David Norris and his wife, Nicole, were honored with lighting the menorah, using the shamash, or the helper candle, which was lit by Todd and Carol Maybach.

“The event was a powerful display of unity and pride in the expanding community and the connections it fosters,” said Rabbi Dovid. To him, the attack in Sydney was deeply personal. A cousin of his was present at the attack where he shielded his young daughter from gunfire. Two of the victims were Rabbi Dovid’s colleagues in the worldwide Chabad movement which tends to view itself as a big family.

“The whole experience was inspiring and incredibly encouraging,” Rabbi Dovid added. “After all, Chanukah is a joyous holiday, and the only way to counter negativity is with happiness and connection.”