Sign up for Weekday J and get the latest on what's happening in the Jewish Bay Area.

Hundreds of people gathered in San Francisco’s Union Square for the first night of Hanukkah on Sunday to light a 22-foot menorah, illuminating a neighborhood that has been hard-hit by economic woes during the pandemic.

Chabad of SF hosted the event, the first of eight menorah lightings, on Dec. 18, lighting the oversized electric Hanukkiah in a ceremony attended by local dignitaries, replete with performances from musical artists.

It was the 47th lighting of the Union Square menorah, known as the Bill Graham Menorah, named for the late rock music promoter and Holocaust survivor.

The lighting was preceded by performances by local artists Ben Kramarz, Shamati: the Jewish Soul of Oakland and Rob Reich. Guests included state Treasurer Fiona Ma, S.F. Police Department Assistant Chief David Lazar and S.F.-based Israeli Consul General Marco Sermoneta.

Chabad Rabbi Moshe Langer estimated that over 1,000 people attended Sunday’s lighting, though that figure could not be independently confirmed. Only two years ago, the square was nearly empty as Chabad was not allowed to publicize the event due to the pandemic.

“It was magical,” Langer said.

Lighting ceremonies will be held in Union Square through the last night of Hanukkah on Dec. 25.

Menorahs lit up in small towns and large cities all across the Bay Area this week. (For a comprehensive list of Bay Area public menorah lightings and other Hanukkah events, visit our listings online.)

Chabad of Oakland hosted its “Grand Menorah Lighting” at Lake Merritt on Dec. 18, drawing some 250 people, co-director Shulamis Labkowski said in an email. City Councilmember Dan Kalb, who serves Temescal and surrounding areas, was in attendance.

The Chabad House in San Jose held two events on the first night of Hanukkah, in the Santana Row neighborhood and at Almaden Lake. Hundreds packed into a town square in Santana Row, photos show, and Rabbi Mendel Weinfeld said total attendance exceeded 1,000 people. Gifts were presented to San Jose Mayor-elect Matt Mahan, state Sen. Dave Cortese and Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. At Almaden Lake, attendees watched the sky as a drone holding a menorah flew over the crowd.

“The story of Hanukkah is the tremendous power of light to overcome darkness. We can have no better response to the negativity we encounter than to gather together in even greater numbers and celebrate the light of the menorah in public,” Weinfeld said in a statement.