Families enjoy Hanukkah Festival

LISA ADAMS/The Acorn

THE MAGICAL MIRACLE OF HANUKKAH––David Feldman, sells Menorahs he made from candy during the fifth Conejo Valley Hanukkah Festival and the first ever at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Members of the Jewish community throughout Conejo Valley/Las Virgenes joined in festivities which included 40 vendors, a candle lighting ceremony, Israeli dancing, a magic show, a reptile show, moon bounce and food ranging from hot dogs, and traditional latkes and applesauce (just to name a few). The eight-day celebration of Hanukkah marks the dedication of the ancient Jerusalem temple after the Maccabees defeated the Syrians in 165 B.C. In observance of Hanukkah, one candle is lit each night on the Menorah to represent the number of days a single vial of oil lasted to light the sacred lamp in the ancient temple. There was only enough oil to last one night, but it lasted for eight, which is where the miracle of Hanukkah comes from.