Community members of all faiths celebrated the fifth night of Hanukkah Thursday, December 18 with children’s activities and live music just outside the council chambers on Second Street in Claremont.

(L-R) The Matusof kids, Zalman, 8, Pessia, 6, and Shaina, 4, sing at the city’s Hanukkah celebration on December 18. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Claremont Police Department Lieutenant Matthew Hamill lights the menorah on December 18. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Wicks on the nearly 10-foot menorah were lit by Rabbi Sholom Harlig, director of the Chabad of the Inland Empire, and Claremont Police Department Lieutenant Matthew Hamill. The event was organized by Chabad of the Inland Empire, and the City of Claremont.

“I would like to say that the light within me and the light within all of us recognizes the light within you,” Mayor Jennifer Stark said. “And as we celebrate Hanukkah, I hope that we can remember to see the light in each other, even when we don’t know each other.”