Tonight marks the 6th night of Hanukkah, when my family will light six candles to commemorate the holiday. We will also light candles for a second menorah in the house, in honor of the 137 hostages who are spending their Hanukkah as captives in Gaza and are obviously unable to light candles or have a menorah.
What Makes Hanukkah Different This Year
The week-long holiday commemorates the revolt of the Jewish Maccabees who rose up against oppressive, anti-Jewish rule. After their victory against the Greeks, the Maccabees lit a menorah with a single vial of lamp oil that should have stayed lit for only one night, and miraculously lasted for eight.
We are two months into Israel’s war in Gaza and thousands of people have been killed. Jewish people around the world are still in mourning and disbelief over the tragic events that took place on October 7, in Israel, and in shock over the antisemitic reverberations throughout the world.
Rabbis and Jewish thought leaders suggest lighting a second menorah in consideration for the Jewish hostages still held in Gaza, the Jewish soldiers on the battlefield, and for the Jewish victims who have lost their lives over the past two months.
Practicing Judaism is a Privilege
What I’ve learned from the worldwide events that continue to astound me on a daily basis, is that the freedom to practice our religion – including lighting candles for Hanukkah – is a privilege and not a given.
The men, women, children and elderly who were violently seized from their homes and from the music festival in Israel on October 7, do not have the option to light candles on Hanukkah, and neither did countless other Jewish people throughout history who were forced to practice their Judaism in secret in fear of violent persecution for practicing their faith and traditions.
Antisemitism Without a Filter
Until this year, I had never born witness to the scourge of antisemitism on this scale. I believe what I have seen so far is more than enough, yet I am sure it’s not over.
Just today, a far-right Polish lawmaker used a fire extinguisher in a torrid display to put out the candles of a Hanukkah menorah during a ceremony at Poland’s parliamentary office.
There have been some Hanukkah events canceled, such as the one at a festival in Williamsburg, Virginia – because of the tensions caused the Israel -Hamas war. According to the festival’s founder Shirley Vermillion, the menorah lighting “seemed very inappropriate” given current events in Israel and Gaza.
Hanukkah cancelled… the idea of it is alarming, distressing and quite frankly, unbelievable.
Can you imagine if Christmas was “cancelled” because Christian U.S. soldiers were fighting a war to protect their land and people?
It’s absurd, yet these anti-semitic, anti-Jewish events continue to occur – without the backlash that one would expect.
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