This message was sent to my congregation and I offer it to anyone who needs to light a candle of hope right now.
Hanukkah is meant to be a time of joy and light. This year, the holiday began under the shadow of a horrific terror attack against Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Fifteen people were killed, including two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, and a young child, and many more were wounded.
It might have been a world away, but we feel it personally, because Jews around the world are deeply connected. Those gathered in Sydney were not only coreligionists; they were mishpachah, family. What happens to Jews anywhere is felt by Jews everywhere.
Two lights of Hanukkah with Beeswax Candles, JHD
It is not surprising that many of us feel shaken or anxious. And yet, as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks taught, “Despair is not a Jewish emotion. Od lo avda tikvateinu—our hope has never been destroyed.”
Hanukkah itself offers us a model of standing up for who we are and increasing the light, even in dark days. For me, one of the deepest sources of comfort is knowing that millions of Jews around the world are kindling these lights together, night after night, on this holiday. Strength also comes from knowing that we have allies of every faith, like the Muslim man who risked his own life to help save others at Bondi Beach.
It is normal to feel afraid in moments like this. But we should never have to feel alone.
We must continue to confront hatred wherever it appears, while refusing to let extremists define our lives or diminish our joy. We are blessed with great sources of resilience in our heritage, our faith, and our community. As we say when completing a book of the Torah: Hazak, Hazak ve-nitzhazek, be strong, be strong, and together we will strengthen each other.
We can also learn from events like this how important it is to show up for other communities who are threatened, targeted, or made to feel unsafe, affirming that dignity and human life are sacred for all.
May the rest of Hanukkah bring many moments of hope, joy, and light.
Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan
Take a mini-retreat:
If you can be outside, take some time to stand on the earth, breath deeply, and call upon the strength of the earth’s elements: land, water, air, sunshine (whatever you can find about you whether in a rural or urban setting)—to give you strength.
If you light Hanukkah candles or other candles, take some quiet time to look into the flames and consider what candle you want to light in the world right now, what holiday gift you have for the world.
Your turn: Where do you find your strength right now? Where do you find community?
- Featured image: Gema-Campos-Menorah-Flickr.jpg, December 22, 2016
- Image in text: beeswax candles on the second night of Hanukkah, Julie Danan
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