Lighting the Menorah signals the beginning of the holidayCANNON BEACH – Rafael’s eyes shine bright as the flickering flames of the eight slim candles grow stronger.

“Let me do it, Daddy,” he says, eager to light one of the Menorah candles on his own. His small three-year-old hands struggle to transfer the flame from the shamash (servant candle) to the eight candles. He gingerly hands it to Samson, his 2-year-old brother, barely tall enough to see over the edge of the table. “Here, Shimi, you do it now.”

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Samson, 2, nibbles a Hanukkah Gelt coin.Rafael, Samson and their parents Salomon and Cecilia Sibony, light their Menorah in honor of Hanukkah (or Chanukah, Hebrew for “dedication”). The Jewish Festival of Lights begins at nightfall Friday and continues through Dec. 27. The Sibonys, who moved to Cannon Beach about a year ago, have filled their home with decorations for the holiday. Hand-colored Hanukkah pictures hang on the wall. Dreidels and chocolate Hanukkah Gelt coins are spread on the table. And Rafael and Samson can hardly wait to open their brightly-wrapped presents, one for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

“This is a holiday to remember miracles,” Salomon said. “It’s one of the more fun holidays. And although the history is adult, a lot of it is for the kids.”

Hanukkah commemorates the Jews’ defeat of the pagan Syrian tyrant Antiochus IV in 165 B.C. under the leadership of Yehuda the Strong, also called Maccabee. After their victory, the Maccabees rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem and dedicated it to God. When they cleaned the temple, they found only a day’s worth of sacred olive oil to fuel their lamps. Miraculously, it lasted for eight days.

Today’s Hanukkah traditions pay homage to the event’s history. The eight-candle Menorah symbolizes the eight days of light. Many Jewish women do not perform household tasks for the first half-hour after the candles are lit, to recognize the suffering Jewish women endured at the hands of the Syrians.

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Cannon Beach residents, from left, Cecilia, Samson, Salomon and Rafael Sibony will begin celebrating the Festival of Lights Friday at sundown.Although the actual date of the holiday changes every year, it always begins on the 25th day of Kislev, the third month of the Jewish calendar. This corresponds, approximately, to December in the Gregorian calendar.

“This is when the moon is practically gone,” said Carol Newman, who lives in Brownsmead. “It’s very dark and it’s also very close to the solstice, when the longest nights are happening. It’s no coincidence that this is a holiday when we light the lights. A lot of people are lighting lights. That’s one of the most basic parts of Hanukkah – lights in a time of darkness.”

Games with a meaningEven the dreidel games are played to remember Hanukkah’s history. During Antiochus’ rule, Jews were forbidden to read or recite Hebrew scriptures. Children would do so in secret, and when a Syrian official or soldier walked by, they would quickly pull out a dreidel (a four-sided top) and appear to be just playing a game. Children today still play a dreidel game where players take or forfeit tokens depending on which side the dreidel lands on. The four symbols on a dreidel announce “A great miracle happened there.” In Israel, the symbols change to say “A great miracle happened here.”

Salomon was born in Israel, but grew up in Montreal, Canada, and the United States. He came to Clatsop County about three years ago and owns Freedom and Freedom Girl clothing stores in Seaside. His wife, Cecilia was raised with a Christian background in Virginia, but converted to Judaism about four years ago. It was a lengthy, intense process, but not one that she regrets.

“I think that his (Salomon’s) family had a lot to do with it, because his family is very close,” she said. “I wasn’t very religious in the first place. It’s really nice to have those traditions and values that I can pass along to my children. It was a very simple, natural transition for me.”

Cecilia has decorated her table with a blue dreidel-patterned tablecloth and keeps a kosher kitchen. She plans to make latkes (a mix of potatoes, flour and eggs) and sufganiot (jelly-filled doughnuts). Both foods are fried in oil to celebrate the oil that lasted eight days. Her biggest struggle is finding kosher meat and other supplies to celebrate the season.

Carol Newman”It’s impossible to find kosher meat here in Clatsop County,” she said. “We have to go to Portland for that. And I could find only find one roll of Hanukkah wrapping paper at the party store in Seaside. Of course we would love to be closer to a large Jewish community. But we love it here in Cannon Beach, too.”

For both the Sibonys and Newman, the Internet has been an invaluable resource. They can purchase Hanukkah and other Jewish supplies online and stay in touch with Jewish friends and family.

“There are so many sites available,” Newman said. “You can even get rabbis’ comments on the Torah. It has really broadened horizons for those of us in the county.”

Newman has discovered that Deals Only in Astoria is a good place to buy Menorah candles, borscht, gefilte fish and matzoh bread. North Coast Fred Meyer in Warrenton and the Community Store in Astoria also stock some items, but Portland is the place to go for most Jewish products. It’s also the closest synagogue for High Holy Days.

Overcoming isolation”Yes, I really feel personally isolated sometimes,” Newman said. She has lived in Brownsmead for almost 30 years. She grew up in a strong Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York.

“Everybody was either Jewish or Italian,” she said. “Everything was the same, we looked the same, we ate the same. Community is the part that is missed the most.”

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With a smile, Rafael stacks Hebrew alphabet blocks, an early Hanukkah gift, as high as he can. But Newman, like the Sibonys, has worked to create community among her diverse neighbors. She’s worked to teach her community about Hanukkah and Judaism, even inviting non-Jewish neighbor children to a Hanukkah celebration in her home. A volunteer and board member for Astoria’s KMUN public radio, Newman plans to read Hanukkah stories and play traditional music. She finds that most people are open to learning more about Jewish customs and have encountered very few negative people.

“I think that most people, all over the world, are ignorant about other people,” she said. “It’s not that they’re negative, it’s that they’re ignorant. Once in a while, there have been people who have made comments that are extremely hurtful, but most people are interested and open about it.”

Newman hosts several Jewish gatherings throughout the year, including an annual Hanukkah celebration in a private home.

“Although there are not many Jews in Clatsop County, I purposefully get together with those that can,” she said. It becomes more important for parents to give their children an understanding of their background, so it’s not “no, you’re not that,” but “this is who you are.”

That is what Salomon and Cecilia are striving to do with their two sons. Another child is due in early January.

“Even though isolation is an issue for the children, we try to combat that at home,” Salomon said. “The biggest thing is that they don’t feel different and yet understand their faith. Right now, when they’re so young, we’re teaching them to relate objects to the holiday. As they get older, they’ll start understanding the real meaning of the miracle.”