“CHANUKAH LIGHTS LIVE!” TO INCLUDE TROOPS IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN
National TV Event With Governor Schwarzenegger Airs On December 6 At 4:00 p.m.

SACRAMENTO, CA, December 3 — Chabad of California has announced that “Chanukah Lights Live!” — the first national TV broadcast of Sacramento’s Capitol Menorah lighting with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger — will include a live satellite link to American troops celebrating the holiday in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The festive event airs on cable’s ION Television Network on December 6 at 4:00 p.m. in each time zone across America; local channel information is available at http://www.ionline.tv/. The program includes a salute to the firefighters who battled the California wildfires, and will culminate in the lighting of the Capitol Menorah — and simultaneous lighting of menorahs by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Chanukah’s universal message of light and hope can touch people of all faiths, and can reach around the world,” said Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, head of West Coast Chabad. “It’s an honor to celebrate the holiday with our Governor and our firefighters, and to be joined by some of our brave military personnel serving overseas. It will be a truly historic moment when we simultaneously illuminate the menorah candles in California, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and spread Chanukah’s light across the globe.”

Actor/comedian Elon Gold is serving as Master of Ceremonies, and the program will include remarks from Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight. In addition to the broadcast on the ION Television Network, the event will stream online at the Governor of California’s website, www.gov.ca.gov.

The celebration will feature performances by Israel’s Jerusalem Children’s Choir and the California National Guard’s 59th Army Band. Joining by satellite will be U.S. troops at Camp Victory in Iraq and, by video teleconference, members of the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. “Chanukah Lights Live!” is being generously sponsored by the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Since 1993, the Governor of California has joined Chabad representatives during Chanukah to offer holiday greetings and illuminate the Capitol Menorah. Chabad, a community-based nonprofit whose efforts are rooted in traditional Jewish values, offers many programs to help the needy regardless of background or belief. Chabad runs the largest network of educational and nonsectarian social services under Jewish auspices on the West Coast.

To learn more, contact Daniel Ferszt of Global Point Public Relations at (866) 594-GPPR or (310) 424-8290, or e-mail news@globalpointpr.com.