{"id":11540,"date":"2019-12-23T09:35:15","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T17:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/in-pictures-12-foot-menorah-on-the-advent-of-hanukkah"},"modified":"2019-12-23T10:38:39","modified_gmt":"2019-12-23T18:38:39","slug":"in-pictures-12-foot-menorah-on-the-advent-of-hanukkah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/news\/city\/in-pictures-12-foot-menorah-on-the-advent-of-hanukkah","title":{"rendered":"IN PICTURES: Start of Hanukkah marked with 12-foot menorah"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ralph Labelson reached up to light the 12-foot-tall aluminum menorah he built while more than 500 people watched the symbolic beginning of the festival of Hanukkah on Sunday at the 2nd + PCH shopping center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s more important now than ever for the Jewish people to stand together in unity and show the world that our light will always defeat darkness,\u201d said Rabbi Abba Perelmuter from Shul by the Shore. \u201cThe Jewish people have to stand vigilantly today. The world is going crazy, it\u2019s just growing crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hanukkah marks the miracle that occurred in the second century when Jewish freedom fighters known as the Maccabees reclaimed the Holy Temple from a Greco-Syrian monarch who ruled Israel.<\/p>\n<p>The sanctuary of the temple was in shambles, torn apart by the Hellenic forces. The freedom fighters found only enough oil to light a lantern to read the Torah for one day. But the lantern blazed for eight full days. When Jews light the eight candles of the menorah on the eight nights of Hanukkah, they recite prayers extolling God for the miracle.<\/p>\n<p>The menorah that now glows at the shopping center stands but a few yards from a two-story Christmas tree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just coincidental that Christmas and Hanukkah happen at the same time,\u201d said Rabbi Perelmuter. \u201cHanukkah preceded Christmas by 500 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perelemuter, who is known for his wit, joked, \u201cIn the United States we always want to outdo our Christian neighbors. Hey, we get EIGHT nights of presents, baby!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011008\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011008\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011008 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_01-1110x688.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"688\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011008\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A crowd of more than 500 people showed up for the lighting of a 12-foot menorah on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011009\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011009\" style=\"width: 1023px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011009 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_02-1023x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1023\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011009\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shimshon Surfrin and Matti Weingarten dressed as dreidels an danced during a celebration on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011010\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011010\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011010 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_03-1110x674.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"674\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011010\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of boys did a traditional dance during a celebration on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011011\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011011\" style=\"width: 990px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011011 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_04-990x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"990\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011011\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eric Samuels holds his son Micah during a celebration on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011012\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011012\" style=\"width: 908px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011012 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_05-908x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"908\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011012\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ralph Labelson lights the 12-foot menorah he built. The lighting took place on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities were at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011013\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011013\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011013 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_06-1110x826.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"826\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011013\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The group Moshe Storch performed at a celebration on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011015\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011015\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011015 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_08-1110x905.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"905\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011015\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of boys did a traditional dance on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011016\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011016\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011016 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_09-1110x685.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"685\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011016\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A group of young men linked arms after they did a traditional dance on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011017\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011017\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011017 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_10-1110x611.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"611\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011017\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attendees waited for the lighting of the menorah on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011018\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011018\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011018 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_11-1110x424.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"424\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011018\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rabbi Abba Perelmuter of Shul by the Shore organized a menorah-lighting celebration on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000011019\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000011019\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000011019 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/MENORAH_1222_12-1110x520.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"520\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000011019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A crowd of more than 500 people showed up for the lighting of a 12-foot menorah on the advent of Hanukkah, Sunday, December 22, 2019. The festivities took place at the 2nd + PCH shopping center in Long Beach. Photo by Bill Alkofer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ralph Labelson reached up to light the 12-foot-tall aluminum menorah he built while more than 500 people watched the symbolic beginning of the festival of Hanukkah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":70753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4299],"tags":[3,13483],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2557],"class_list":["post-11540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city","tag-instagram","tag-hanukkah","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/252"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11540"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=11540"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=11540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}