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What’s Up With... Five things San Clemente should know this week Dozens of Families Gather for Drive-In Menorah Lighting Ceremony THE LATEST: As the sun began to set over San Clemente on Monday evening, Dec. 14, marking the start of the fifth night of Hanukkah, Rabbi Mendel Slavin looked out over a sea of cars parked in a lot at the Outlets at San Clemente. “This is the strangest thing that I’ve ever done in my life. I’m talking to a bunch of cars,” Slavin joked to the few hundred people who had gathered for a drive-in menorah lighting ceremony that the Chabad Jewish Center held in lieu of its traditional events. For years, Slavin and the local Jewish center have celebrated Hanukkah by gathering dignitaries and hundreds of members of the community to light a Menorah at the historic pier and at the Outlets. But with 2020 being what it is, and as the nation enters the darkest period of the pandemic so far with surging coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions, the rabbi and his wife, Tzippy Slavin, were forced to react quickly and alter their course. “This all started about a week and two days ago, when we realized that due to the rise in cases in Orange County, we would not be able to perform our Hanukkah at the Pier and Hanukkah at the Outlets the way we felt was safe to the community and for our neighbors,” Rabbi Slavin said. Admittedly, he said, he was ready to move on, calling it a “Hanukkah COVID.” But for Tzippy, he continued, she was adamant about keeping the local event alive in some capacity, spending a night to work on the drive-in concept. “We have over 80 cars and 250 people!” Slavin exclaimed of the success of his wife’s efforts, eliciting celebratory horn-honking. “Some might feel a bit down about Hanukkah,” he later said, adding that for the event, “we are switching this around and taking control of the narrative. We are announcing, in proud Hanukkah fashion, that we have and will be using the gifts of technology that God has granted us.” Rabbi Slavin said that over the past few days, the center has received calls from people inquiring how they can celebrate the holiday amid the pandemic, as well as asking what the state laws were in terms of COVID-19 restrictions. “Most of all, it seemed like we were all wondering how to bring back the classic San Clemente Times December 17-23, 2020
Roughly 250 people, all staying in the comfort of their own cars, gathered at the Outlets at San Clemente on Monday, Dec. 14, for a drive-in menorah lighting ceremony hosted by the Chabad Jewish Center of San Clemente. Photo: Shawn Raymundo
San Clemente
TOTAL CASES
COVID-19 UPDATES as of 12/15/20
cases
deaths
TOTAL
1,202
13
535
3
LAST 30 DAYS
LAST 30 DAYS
est. population • 65,405 Follow us on Facebook & Instagram for daily local & county statistics. Source: Orange County Health Care Agency
Hanukkah feeling with everything going on,” he said. “There’s no better holiday than Hanukkah to give us the power to perform beyond our limitations.” The eight-day tradition of Hanukkah, also referred to as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the miracle that the Maccabees witnessed during the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem around 200 B.C. According to Jewish text, the Maccabees had only enough oil to keep menorah candles lit for one day. However, the flames lasted for eight days, giving them enough time to find a new supply of oil for the menorah. “Using the light to combat the dark, the menorah’s light has lit the way for us throughout the darkness of our history— traveling with us, to every exile we have endured,” Rabbi Slavin said. “Now we are faced with a challenge. A social distance, a palpable disconnect that we have all been thrown into.” Slavin continued that many remain “unsure how to celebrate or how to make this Hanukkah count. Once again, the Hanukkah lights whisper the answer:
Persevere.”—Shawn Raymundo
Bates Part of Bipartisan Effort to Reclassify Restaurants as Essential Businesses THE LATEST: Following Southern California’s fall under a new stay-at-home order, requiring restaurants and eateries to focus solely on takeout services, State Sen. Patricia Bates and a bipartisan group of fellow lawmakers are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to reclassify the restaurant industry as an essential service. In a letter sent on Friday, Dec. 11, to Newsom’s office and signed by 11 state senators including Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), the group implored the governor to place restaurants under critical infrastructure “before even more damage is done to our communities.” “The COVID-19 guidelines implemented by your Administration have had a devastating impact on the restaurants that provide
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critical jobs and revenue to our communities,” the letter stated. “Many restaurants have gone out of business, and now, with the approach of the winter and new guidelines that restrict indoor dining, many others will be forced to consider similar choices.” The Southern California Region, including Orange County, was placed under a threeweek, stay-at-home order beginning last week as coronavirus cases continued to skyrocket, causing a record number of hospitalizations and depleting capacity in intensive care units. As of Tuesday, Dec. 15, the adjusted available ICU capacity in the region was at 1.7%. In Orange County, the adjusted capacity available was at 1.4%. Under the new stay-at-home restrictions, which are expected to last through at least Dec. 27, private gatherings and the mixing of households are prohibited, while maskwearing is required in all sectors. While all in-person dining, bars, breweries, wineries, hair salons and barbershops, and personal care services must remain closed, restaurants can still offer takeout and delivery. Retail and grocery stores can remain open with 20% customer capacity. Though some eateries have complied with the order, switching to takeout services, many around San Clemente, namely in the downtown district, have continued to operate their outdoor dining sections in order to stay afloat. A recent survey that the National Restaurant Association conducted found that 100,000 U.S. bars and restaurants have had to close their doors either permanently or for a long-term period. The staggering figure represents roughly 15% of the industry, news outlets reported.—SR
Council Allocates Coronavirus Assistance Funds Toward Economic Development, Homeless Outreach THE LATEST: The city council on Tuesday, Dec. 15, unanimously voted to accept more than $445,000 in community block grants from the federal government to address the COVID-19 pandemic locally, directing most of the money to go toward economic relief for small businesses. The $445,109 in Community Development Block Grants to the city marks the latest round in funding under the CARES Act— the economic relief measure passed in late March to provide aid to families, businesses and municipalities during the pandemic. More than $253,000 has been earmarked for economic development purposes, providing grants to businesses in need of personal protective equipment, as well as helping pay rent and utilities. The funds could also help restaurant owners (Cont. on page 4) sanclementetimes.com