Menorah stands a little taller and brighter
Rebuilding faith
Menorah repaired after last year's vandalism.
Thanks to the dedication of many Ladera residents, and members of the South Orange County Jewish community, the metal menorah in Town Green, vandalized last year, was rededicated at a gathering of about 1,500 people of all faiths on Dec. 17.
"This is a time of celebration!" Shalom Elcott, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Orange County said. "We are re-inaugurating a new menorah."
The Jewish Federation was one of the sponsors of the event. Elcott was at the event, accompanied by his daughter, Jordan.
Last year about 1,200 people showed up in support of the Ladera Jewish community.
"We decided to show the people who did that terrible act last year, that not only does it not affect us, but we come back stronger," Rabbi Zalman Marcus said. Marcus is director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Mission Viejo.
Rabbi Marcus, as last year, performed the Hanukkah lighting ceremony for Sunday's celebration.
Doug Long of Trabuco Canyon built the Menorah that was vandalized last year.
"When I heard it was destroyed I wanted the opportunity to fix it." Long said. "My main goal was that it look taller and shine a little brighter."
Robert Cohen, chairman of the Hanukkah event, lauded Long and said, "he really opened up his heart."
Cohen welcomed people to Hanukkah at the Ranch with a challenge, saying that the theme of this year's celebration was symbolized by the Hebrew words, "tikkun olam," which means "healing by repairing the world."
"Let's send the message that we will not stand intolerance," Cohen said, "we will not stand vandalism; we will not stand anything to do with hatred and we will not let negative actions dictate our positive behavior. Let us practice 'tikkun olam!'"
This year's Hanukkah at the Ranch Celebration took on a greater scope than last year's festival of lights. Sue Shaver, Ladera Ranch Community Services director, provided community and financial support to Cohen.
Shaver said, "We've got a great crowd and the weather is cooperating; it's a great night."
Jeff Blugrind, LARCS Board Secretary, was master of ceremonies for the event and opened the festivities at 4 p.m. with Klezmer Music from the Orange County Klezmers.
The Town Green Gazebo was decorated in art work describing Hanukkah from students at the Morasha Jewish Day School in Rancho Santa Margarita and Tarbut V'Torah (TVT) Community Day School in Irvine.
The two schools also provided singers and dancers for the celebration.
Rabbi Heidi Cohen's daughter, Dahvi, 7, goes to Morasha and sang with the choir. Cohen's husband, Matt and her son, Yoni, 3, enjoyed the candle dipping workshop provided by the Silver Gan Israeli Day Camp before the ceremony began.
Children could choose from several planned activities provided.
Sandee Gee was busy painting the faces of the children. Albertson's provided food in the form of soup, hamburgers, hot dogs and chips.
Traditionally, hot chocolate and foods fried in oil are served. A long line of people waited for the warming chocolate and jelly donuts (or sufganiyot).
Rabbi Sender from the Silver Gan Camp provided the candle-dipping factory for the children.
Lexi Woods, 3, considered the candle-dipping her favorite activity of the evening. Her mother and father, Lani and Briny, and her brother, Dean, 2, are recent residents of Ladera.
Woods said she enjoyed the candle-dipping, but she was here to "celebrate Hanukkah."
At 4:30, Mr. Funn entertained children and adults with a comedy magic show. He also made balloon animals for some of the children.
Meg and Rob Ervais of Mission Viejo, watched the show with their children, Kelvin, 6, and Ethan, 4.
Both boys liked the balloon animals that the magician created and the 4-year-old loved a puppet that Mr. Funn interacted with.
Before the lighting ceremony there was entertainment from BBG, the TVT Elementary Dance Group and the TVT Celebration Singers.
The Sharon Haas Dance group from Saddleback College then performed a dance to Peter Yarrow's "Light One Candle."
Elcott introduced Cohen as, "one man who decided to stand up and be counted' by deciding to rebuild the menorah and make this year's event bigger and better than last year's.
Elcott added, "(Cohen's) efforts helps to show that one person can make a difference, that one person can change a life, one person can make a difference in our world."
"There are Hebrew words 'tikkun olam' – meaning 'heal the world,'" said the 44-year-old Ladera Ranch consultant who built the candelabrum together with his friend, Doug Long, 45. "I feel it's our obligation to try to heal. You don't forget it but you look beyond it."
Last Christmas, Cohen found the giant menorah built from steel lying on the ground at Town Green, where the celebration of Hanukkah was to be held. Vandals sawed the religious icon at its base, making it topple and shatter. Widespread media attention drew more than 1,200 people, including many non-Jews, to a commemorative menorah lighting following the desecration.
On Friday, Dec. 15, glimmering in the afterglow of sundown, the first of eight lights was lit marking the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. But it was bittersweet – commemorating the one-year anniversary of the menorah's destruction by vandals.
Cohen was touched by the community's outpouring last year. Rabbis from Carlsbad and Yorba Linda attended. Church leaders outside the Jewish faith told their congregations to support the Jewish community.
"When this happened, it happened to all of us," Cohen said. "It was an eye-opener for the community to stand in unison."
Long, a Mormon, also felt the sting of destruction.
"I have certain things in my religion I hold valuable and sacred," said the Trabuco Canyon resident. I may not have the same feeling (for the menorah) but I know what that feels like."
In rebuilding, Long, who owns an automotive shop in Mission Viejo, used the old menorah's structure but reinforced it. He placed a power box at its base so lights can be switched on.
"I wanted to make sure we put the same menorah back up," he said. I just wanted it to stand taller and brighter."
"We're not sure if it was a hate crime or some local kids who were misguided," said Dennis Javens, town manager. "Embracing the lighting of the menorah fits perfectly in what developers envisioned when they created this community. Intolerance is something we all don't tolerate."
Cohen moved to Ladera Ranch with his family five years ago. For Christmas the town was decked with spirit – sparkling trees and lights on every corner, wreaths, snowmen, candy canes and reindeers in front of many homes.
As a child, he hated the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's.
"I just felt like it was festive for everyone else," he said. "There was so much focus on Christmas with house decorations, school events and music on the radio. As a Jewish kid, I had nothing to focus on."
Since then, Cohen believes, attitudes have changed. People respect the diversity of faiths. He wanted Jewish children to have a sense of belonging.
Ladera Ranch seemed the perfect place to celebrate the season by including the Jewish holidays. The community was brand new. It had many young families and people were open-minded.
In 2001, he and Long built the first menorah.
For five years the sparkling lights of the menorah drew revelers. Each year the group grew. Sunday's event attracted a community of many faiths.
"This is what the holiday season is about," he said. "It's not about diversity but about unification. It shows we can all be individuals but come together for a common cause."
Contact the writer: 949-454-7307 or eritchie@ocregister
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