Join a Hanukkah celebration at Pinecrest, latkes later: Valley Views

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -

Temple Emanu El invites the public to join congregants in celebrating Hanukkah Dec. 7-15 in person with public events including lighting a giant outdoor menorah at Pinecrest’s Central Park.

This year’s eight-day Festival of Lights beginning at sundown highlights the holiday themes of light, hope and religious freedom. It also focuses on building connections throughout the community.

For five nights, TEE invites the public to participate in the Pinecrest menorah lighting beginning 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Dec.11 and 12, and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13. Duck Donut treats will be provided. The public is invited to participate.

Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, a small band of Jewish fighters in 168 BCE rebelling against the advance of Greek secularism and the re-dedication of their holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Participants can bring their own menorah to light as a community 5:45 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 at TEE, 4545 Brainard Rd. in Orange Village. Then they are invited to stay for dinner and a Shabbat Nosh Service featuring the Temple Emanu El Chai Band.

Founded in 1947, TEE is a reform congregation serving the Jewish Community of Greater Cleveland, western Geauga County and parts of Portage and Summit counties. It provides worship services, religious education, preschool and cultural and social events.

The cost is $15 for adults and $7 for children age three to 14. The cost per family household is $50. Non-members are welcome with a reservation made by Dec. 4 by contacting or www.tinyurl.com/TEEHanukkah23 .

TEE receives AED: Temple Emanu El recently received an automated external defibrillator donate by the 4Alec Foundation. The foundation is a local non-profit organization that promotes awareness about youth heart disease. The preschool had one AED near its entrance, but this past summer TEE requested donations from its congregation to purchase a second AED for its preschool. A quick response was received from Stephanie and Scott Kornet, co-founders of the foundation which is based in South Euclid.

The 4AlecFoundation was founded by the Kornets in 2017 after the sudden death of their son Alec from cardiac arrest due to a previously unknown heart condition. Their mission is to prevent this from happening to other children and families.

Last call for leaves: Chagrin Falls residents should rake the last of your fall leaves to the curb by Friday, Dec. 1 for the final pick-up of the 2023 season. There is no program for village crews to pick them up in the spring. You can bag them and put them out with your regular trash pick-up.

Place leaves in long lines within four feet of the curb. Do not block ditches and keep them out of the street. Do not include branches, twigs and flower cuttings, as they may hinder the equipment. Note that collection of them is weather dependent. Call the street department at 440-247-5053 or with questions.

Food drive and giving tree: The Bainbridge Civic Club is seeking donations for the Bainbridge Area Food for Friends food pantry and its giving tree that provides help to those in need. The giving tree supports Chagrin Falls Park Community Center, Shire Shack and the Geauga Youth Center and Transitional Living Center.

Donations for tagged items can be placed in a collection container in the breezeway of Bainbridge Town Hall. Suggested items include new Christmas pajamas, hats and gloves for infants up to 18 months, coats, non-knitted gloves, hats, clothes, hygiene products, puzzles, card and board games for school age children. For adults, hats, gloves, coats, slippers and robes, insulated water bottles with lid and straw, baking items, gingerbread house kits and any type of baking mixes, DVDs or Blue Ray movies, and gift cards from Aldi, Giant Eagle and Walmart stores.

Woodland Wednesday: Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District is hosting a program 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6 for owners of forested land. The program will introduce attendees to the Forest Carbon Market as a way to monetize the stored carbon in their woodlands. Speakers will be Jordan Hoewischer, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s director of water quality and research and Anthony Pappas, consultant with the Heritage Habitat & Forestry.

Register to attend or obtain more information by contacting 330-282-8625 or geaugaswcd.com .

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