Dear Community Members,

Sunday was really a beautiful day for the City of Benicia. I had the honor of being the MC at the first ever Menorah lighting at City Park. It was a very special moment for many members of the community…very emotional. I think that it is in the true Benicia spirit to be welcoming and show people in our community they are loved. The theme of this first annual event was ‘Be the light you want to see in the world’. I think this is very appropriate for our community, where most everyone works hard to make it a different place...a model for other communities on what ‘community’ really means. A place where kindness rules and we always make an extra effort to make people feel welcome.

As was mentioned by the Mayor, there has been a marked increase in anti-Semitism around the world and here in the United States. This is so incredibly sad, and we know it is wrong and ignorant. So, what better way to be the light we want to see in the world by taking an affirmative step to say, no…here you are welcomed and loved. 

I would like to thank our Mayor and City Council for their efforts to make this event a reality, especially Vice Mayor Terry Scott. I would like to also thank the Mayor who always is supportive of these events and making every effort create a welcoming environment in the community and prioritizing these important messages. I would like to thank Councilmember Birdseye for her willingness to laugh with my faux pas. And a very, very special thanks to Ann Dunleavy and the Parks and Community Services crew for their, as always, over-the-top efforts to make every event in Benicia the very best, excellent and simply amazing. You all are truly a light in the world, and you make the City so amazing (literally and figuratively)!