Action figure menorah Action figure menorah (December 23, 2005)

Will Hyams, 11, puts finishing touches on the menorah he made for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who joined in a pre-Hanukah ceremony last Tuesday at the State Capitol. Hyams' gift menorah has eight action figures as candle holders, each a different character Schwarzenegger has played throughout his Hollywood career.

Hanukkah begins Sunday night, an eight-day Jewish holiday that commemorates the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by foreign forces in 168 B.C.

The annual observance, which customarily starts in the home with the lighting of a nine-candle menorah, will also be celebrated publicly for the first time starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Stoneridge Shopping Center. The service will be open to Jews and non-Jews to "encourage the community to spread the light, the primary message of Hanukkah," said Rabbi Raleigh Resnick, who leads the Chabad of the Tri-Valley.

The festivities will include games, crafts, clowns, face-painting and a raffle, with a formal program starting at 6 p.m. that will feature the lighting of a 9-foot menorah in the mall.

"The eternal message of the menorah lights has particular significance in light of current world events," he said. "They remind us all too starkly that the forces of oppression and darkness are still present."

Resnick and his wife Fruma opened the Chabad of the Tri-Valley last summer, with services, meetings and social events currently being held in their home on Via De Los Cerros in Pleasanton. The Chabad Center is part of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch organization.

The Hanukah celebration follows a trip the Resnicks made laast Tuesday to Sacramento where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined in a pre-Hanukkah ceremony marked by the unveiling of the official state menorah. The event included a kosher-only luncheon that was hosted by the governor.

A highlight of the trip was the presentation to Schwarzenegger of a hand-made menorah by Will Hyams, a Chabad Youth Zone member. Hyams built his gift menorah for using as candle holders eight action figures, each a different character Schwarzenegger has played throughout his Hollywood career.

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