The annual Grand Menorah Lighting and Chanukah Party organized by Chabad of Toluca Lake brought hundreds of neighbors, families and friends together for a celebration of the Festival of Lights in the Logix Federal Credit Union parking lot on December 14.
The gathering also provided a beacon of hope to the community during a fraught time, as news of the tragic terror attack at Australia’s Bondi Beach unfolded that same day. “We truly did not know what to expect,” Rabbi Moishe Carlebach recalls. “Many communities around the world were grappling with shock, pain and uncertainty. To our heartfelt surprise, this became the most well-attended Chanukah menorah lighting we have ever had.”
The event, he says, became a powerful show of unity, strength and togetherness, reflecting “the community’s resilience and its desire to respond to darkness with light, fear with pride and heartbreak with connection.”
The evening brightened spirits with live entertainment, warm latkes, doughnuts and other refreshments, hands-on children’s activities — including a new build-your-own Lego dreidel station — the signature fire truck gelt drop and the lighting of a giant Lego menorah with special guest Fritz Coleman.
“The event represents Jewish pride and community connection. Seeing neighbors of all backgrounds come together to celebrate, learn and share meaningful moments is incredibly powerful,” Carlebach says. “Watching this celebration grow year after year is both humbling and inspiring, and it speaks to the beautiful sense of togetherness that defines Toluca Lake.”
