Their temple destroyed in Eaton fire, a Pasadena Jewish community holds vigil after Australia’s antisemitic attack

Members of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center gathered at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena on Tuesday, Dec. 16, to light the third Hanukkah candle and stand in solidarity with the victims of the antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in Australia.

The shooting at the Hanukkah celebration on Dec. 14 left 15 people dead, the youngest of whom was 10 years old, and another, a grandfather of 11 who survived the Holocaust.

Rabbi Joshua Ratner led the gathering, held where the congregation meets after the January’s Eaton fire destroyed their synagogue and school.

Temple families, their allies and partners held the first community Hanukkah candle lighting on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Sierra Madre, since losing their campus.

Temple leaders said they will hold other Hanukkah gatherings for different age groups throughout the eight days of the Festival of Lights.

Reflecting on Hanukkah, Ratner said the essence of the holiday is to remind people of their capacity to lights in the world. “It’s precisely at this time that Hanukkah calls on us to assert our capacity to light up the night.”