Festival of Lights

Light does not need permission to shine: San Diego leaders unite against hate at Hanukkah ‘Rally for Light’

Photos and story by Karen Pearlman

Dec. 22, 2025 (San Diego) — Across the street from the calm San Diego Bay but amid a rising tide of global concern, some of San Diego County’s top elected officials, law enforcement and multi-faith leaders gathered Monday at the County Administration Center to send a singular message: Hate has no sanctuary in San Diego.

Organized by San Diego County Assessor Jordan Marks (shown speaking in photo above right), Monday afternoon’s "Rally for Light," marked the eighth and final day of Hanukkah, and the hour-long event ended with a ceremonial lighting of a 6-foot hanukkiah (menorah) by local faith leaders, county employees and community members.

While the event celebrated the "Festival of Lights," the atmosphere was underscored by a somber urgency following a string of recent anti-Semitic attacks reaching from San Francisco to an outdoor celebration on Bondi Beach in Australia.


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County lighting Administration Center in support of Sydney attack victims; Menorah lighting set for Dec. 22

Photo courtesy San Diego County
 
East County News Services
 
Dec. 17, 2025 (San Diego County) — Behind the support of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson from District 2, the County of San Diego will illuminate its County Administration Center in blue and white tonight, Dec. 17.
 
The illumination in blue and white across from San Diego Bay, serves as a visible beacon of unity. It is being lit in remembrance of victims and to show solidarity with survivors of the recent anti-Semitic attack targeting the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia.
 
Fifteen innocent individuals were murdered by two gun-wielding terrorists. The gunfire resulted in dozens of injured victims who were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah on Bondi Beach. See related story here.
 

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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.