On Sunday, Dec. 10, a significant celebration of the Festival of Lights unfolded at the Marin Country Mart to celebrate the fourth night of Hanukkah. Coordinated by the Brandeis Marin community, many attendees gathered to witness the ceremonial lighting of the Hanukiah, accompanied by musical performances from students. This marked the first occurrence of the event since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the community recognizing its temporal importance.

Pamela Welner, Brandeis Marin’s Director of Enrollment, played a crucial role in organizing the event and expressed satisfaction with its execution.

“This year, we made the decision to revive our winter event because we felt the community [needed] it, especially given recent circumstances,” Welner said.

The event allowed families to watch performances by student bands and choirs, create homemade Hanukiah, enjoy complimentary hot chocolate, enjoy sufganiyot (Jelly donuts) from Johnny Doughnuts, and latkes from Loveski the new Jewish restaurant in the Marin Country Mart.

“Even though this is not a major holiday in the Torah, we still love to celebrate it with a lot of passion because it is about community and being with family. Trying to compete with Christmas is sometimes difficult, so it is great to get the kids involved,” Welner said.

As the holiday unfolds, it serves as a time for reflection on the year and emphasizes the importance of being close to loved ones. Redwood parent Christine Leppones had both of her children go through the Brandeis Marin schooling system from kindergarten to eighth grade and stressed the significance of the holiday this year. 

“Many people in the world right now are not able to celebrate this joyous holiday,” Leppones said. “It is extremely important that we recognize how lucky we are to be able to celebrate this year, but we need to keep in mind those who can’t.”