Under the ceiling mural of stars in a clear night sky, the Boyle Heights Chavurah, a grassroots Jewish fellowship of the Eastside, set the stage Saturday for community members to celebrate the third night of Hanukkah and end of the Shabbat with food and drink.
An ornate silver menorah sat on a table at La Parrilla, the longstanding Mexican restaurant on César E. Chávez Avenue, flanked by a hebrew book of psalms, and a yellow, braided Havdalah candle. Star of David garlands hung juxtaposed to piñatas and twinkling lights throughout the interior.
Shmuel Gonzales, the founder of the Boyle Heights Chavurah, led the celebration at La Parrilla and greeted members of the fellowship and community with hugs as they walked inside. His connection to Boyle Heights goes six generations deep and his Sephardic Jewish background influenced the hybrid practices he would soon share with the community.
Gonzales said he hoped to not only honor jewish ancestors and elders that evening, but to also hold space for what he described as a growing jewish community in Boyle Heights.
“We always talk about decolonization and trying to go back and heal the wounds of the reconquistas with these types of events. And I’m glad to say that 500 years on we’ve actually begun to heal as Latinos in order to be able to embrace the jewish heritage that is part of the Hispanic experience,” Gonzales said.
Matthew Hom, who has been associated with the Boyle Heights Chavurah since 2019, said the lighting ceremony was a way of celebrating the neighborhood’s diversity.
“Lighting up candles or oil lights every night symbolizes the light that comes from community, from heritage and from solidarity,” Hom said. “It’s so meaningful to honor the diverse histories of the Eastside; Jewish, Latino and so much more. And also to recognize the fact that these are not separate exclusive categories, like Latino Jews and other Jews of color, come together in solidarity with their non-Jewish community in a place like La Parrilla.”
And even the physical location of La Parrilla held significance. Back in the 1930s and 1940s historic Brooklyn Avenue was a vibrant center for Jewish life according to Hom. “And we celebrate this holiday at this Mexican restaurant, that this is not an incongruous sight, that, in fact, this is deeply rooted in the diversity and vibrancy of the Eastside.”
As the guests settled into their seats, Gonzales approached the menorah. Three candle slots had been filled with oil lights, a nod to his Sephardic grounding. He read a few psalms and lit the shamash, the lighting candle.
“There’s something about the human spirit that during dark and cold times, during difficult times, that wants to raise up joy. That’s why we light the menorah in order to bring light and joy into the world,” Gonzales said as he lit the traditional candelabra.
But before Gonzales put the lit candle down, he turned to the left of the table, holding its flame above a final, individual candle. Gonzales said lighting the extra candle was to remember and honor all jewish peoples lost by murder, forced conversion, or who were enslaved.
“We light a light and we say that we still live and that we will live by your heritage,” Gonzales said, as he touched the flame to the unlit wick. Gonzales let out a “Happy Hanukkah,” before urging friends and families to enjoy the provided food.
Tacos de papa and kosher food and drink such as Manischewitz wine were available to the community who came together for the special celebration. Attendees included State Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, who is a Boyle Heights resident.
Marielena Gómez, 70, sat at a table with other community members, enjoying a vanilla filled Sufganiyot, a kosher, jelly-donut like dessert. She didn’t follow the jewish faith but has had decades-long relationships with her jewish neighbors for as long as she’s lived in Boyle Heights.
She drew parallels between Judaism and her faith, Catholicism, through the ceremony of honoring ancestors and celebrating togetherness through the power of light.
“All of that, I’ve heard it before. It’s in the bible,” she said. ‘The symbolism, it’s so beautiful.
Horn said he felt like the ceremony was a much-needed way to get the greater Eastside Jewish community together during a dark global time.
“This Hanukkah is coming at a time of so much conflict, pain and heaviness, it’s all the more important for us to come together as a community,” he said. “Not only a Jewish community on the Eastside, but also in solidarity with all of our neighbors and communities, precisely because we understand that we are following in the footsteps of ancestors and spiritual ancestors of before us that knew that community building, solidarity, understanding and conversation are what would help us live in coexistence.”
