A hands-on holiday

Isaac Mintz had a hankering to fry something. He lined a basket held by Pamela Lovell with doughnuts he had just helped roll.

Unfortunately for Isaac, that was as close as he would get to crisping the warm treats children like himself would later douse with icing, cinnamon and powdered sugar, during the first ever Chanukah Wonderland celebration in Newport Beach Sunday afternoon.

The event, held in a tent next to the pool of the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, proved as educational as it was entertaining for children, offering a number of activities teaching youngsters the “whys” behind each of the Hanukkah traditions.

Foods cooked in oil, like doughnuts fried by volunteer Lovell, and latkes (potato pancakes) help reinforce the story of a single day’s supply of oil that burned in the temple for eight days, said Isaac’s father, Rabbi Reuven Mintz of the Chabad Jewish Center in Newport Beach.

To further the idea, Mintz invited Rabbi Sender Engel, of Long Beach with his olive press to teach the nearly 1000 people in attendance the beauty of Judaism, in a hands-on way.

There is no question, Engel said, when you go out into the communities, whether a Hebrew school, or public event like Sunday’s, the kids get into it. “The miracle of Hanukkah started with olive oil,” Engel said.

Engel began his presentation, selecting two volunteers who took a basket filled with olives around the audience. Children then selected two olives from the baskets, while Engel instructed them how to choose the perfect olive for the press.

Stay away from anything green or red, only, “big black juicy olives are good for olive oil,” he said.

The Chabad Jewish Center is the same group behind the menorah lightings each year held at Fashion Island, but this year Mintz felt there was more that could be done.

“There’s so many activities,” Mintz said. “It gives them the ultimate experience of Hanukkah.”

For many parents the event helped encourage children to be proud of their traditions in Southern California, where Christmas is the more common winter holiday celebration.

“By showing the kids Hanukkah can be just as magical, and to be with other kids doing the same … there’s so many benefits,” Jody Margolis of Coto de Caza said.

The Margolis’ brought their children Jake, 7, and Zoe, 9, along with two of their children’s friends. “It’s fun to have something different,” Zoe said while constructing her own menorah from lug nuts and pennies, at one of the booths set up along the edges of the tent.

“I like the latkes,” said Zoe. And no one fries potato pancakes like her mom. Jody Margolis indicated with a big hand gesture the generous portions of oil she uses to make Zoe’s favorite part of the festival of lights.

Each child was given a Hanukkah passport at the door to bring with them to the crafts they participated in, whether it was decorating freshly fried doughnuts, chocolate dreidels or Star of David sugar cookies.

Kids also got their photo taken with Judah Maccabee, the hero of the Hanukkah story, played for the children by Pamela Lovell’s husband Steven. They filled empty dreidels with candy and dipped candles in decora- tive wax. Families brought toy donations for children who did not have parents to give them holiday presents, Mintz said.

The candles, although fun to make, held a deep significance for Mintz.

“We look around the world and it seems at times very dark, all the terror that has transformed so many people,” Mintz said. The miracle of Hanukkah, “shows us that light can prevail over darkness, the few over the many, good over evil.

“If we’re driven to do good we can transform this world one action at a time. This is about bringing your light into the world.”