Gov. Schwarzenegger to Light Capitol Menorah with Chabad

LOS ANGELES, CA — To help bring the festive spirit of Chanukah to California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will join with Chabad representatives to illuminate the Capitol Menorah in Sacramento on December 18. The celebration begins at 2:30 p.m., with the Governor addressing the public from the steps of the Capitol to share holiday greetings and promote Chanukah’s universal message of freedom, hope, and light.

“It’s always wonderful to celebrate the holiday with our dear Governor and to see the Menorah shining brightly at the State Capitol,” said Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, head of Chabad of California. “Especially in these difficult times, when we face so many challenges and so much darkness, our response must be to embrace hope and light.”

The Menorah will be illuminated in memory of the victims of the recent terrorist attack on Mumbai, India — including Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah, the Chabad emissaries murdered while serving their community. Participants in the lighting ceremony will include Rabbi Dovid Holtzberg, and his wife, Binie — Chabad’s representatives to Monterey, California, who are the first cousins of the rabbi killed in Mumbai.

The event will also feature a special salute to Project PRIDE, a Chabad outreach program that offers resources to help prevent drug use and promote positive alternatives. In addition to providing informational materials, Project PRIDE enables recovering addicts, trained counselors, and community activists to visit schools to discuss the dangers of substance abuse.

Syndicated radio commentator Dennis Prager is serving as the Master of Ceremonies, and musical performers include the Grammy Award winning Pacific Boychoir and the Sid Engel Orchestra. At the conclusion of the celebration, donated toys will be distributed to the guests, who are encouraged to give them to needy children to lift their spirits during the holidays. Corporate sponsorship for the public event is generously provided by The Ralphs Fund as part of its charitable efforts to serve the community.

Chabad, a community-based nonprofit organization whose efforts are rooted in traditional Jewish values, offers many programs to help the needy regardless of background or belief. Chabad runs the largest network of educational and nonsectarian social services under Jewish auspices on the West Coast, and 2008 marks the 15th year in which the group has sponsored the Menorah lighting with the Governor and state legislators.