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.

By Miriam Raftery

December 15, 2025 (San Diego) –  “Let the world see that when darkness tries to intimidate us, we answer with light,”  Rabbi Rafi Andrusier from Chabad of East County said today following a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.

Rabbi Andrusier urged local community members to join in a local Menorah lighting at 3:30 p.m. today in San Carlos.

At least 15 people were killed and 38 injured when a gunman opened fire on a crowd celebrating the first day of Hanukkah today at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. The shooter was disarrmed by a Muslim man who risked his life to  tackle the shooter from behind. A second gunman was also apprehended.

Authorities have called the mass shooting a terrorist attack on the Jewish community on this first night of Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of a temple in Jerusalem where a small amount of oil lasted eight days in the temple’s Menorah, an action deemed a miracle.

Story and photos by Elijah McKee

Photo, left: Mayor Bill Wells lights menorah in El Cajon

December 1, 2021 (El Cajon) — Even the most thought-out plans can be derailed by a last-minute change, especially when a leader falls ill. This wasn’t true for the Chabad of East County on Sunday, though, as they pulled off their first night of Hanukkah event at the El Cajon Civic Center without a hitch, despite the absence of Rabbi Rafi Andrusier and his wife Chaya, who tested positive for COVID-19 the day before. 

They are both vaccinated, have mild cases, and will be back to normal soon — but instead of floundering in the unexpected changeup, a team of ten Chabad volunteers filled the void right away to execute the plans with the Rabbi’s virtual support. The event drew a large crowd two years ago but was skipped last year due to the pandemic — so it was all the more important for everyone to hold the tradition this year.

November 4, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) --–Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade retailer with 75 locations across the country and online at www.tenthousandvillages.com, offers uniquely handcrafted menorahs from India and Mexico. Made from materials like bicycle gears and ceramic, these menorahs add interest to traditional Hanukkah celebrations.