Tonight, throughout Israel and across the world, Jews will mark the beginning of Hanukkah by lighting the first candle of eight.
This year, Hanukkah begins on Christmas Day for the first time in nearly two decades, making it an unusually celebratory event.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the support of Israel’s Christian friends in a holiday message, saying, "At a time when Israel is fighting on seven fronts, we deeply appreciate the steadfast support of our Christian friends around the world. You've stood by our side, you've stood by our side resiliently, consistently, forcefully as Israel defends our civilization against barbarism."
That resilience is now needed more than ever as we prepare to light the hanukkiah. Sometimes called the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah is more widely recognized and lauded as the Festival of Lights, in reference to the illuminating Hanukiah at the heart of the fabled story and celebrations.
But for all of the decent Jewish and Christian people in the world celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas this year, there’s a huge impediment to their fully reveling in their respective holidays – for the 100 hostages still in Gaza and unaccounted for, there’s no light, only an unbelievable nearly 450 days of darkness.
Like every other moment of happiness that has come our way since October 7, 2023, Hanukkah this year is muted by disbelief, anger, and anguish. Hamas and its terror affiliates, which have caused the worst catastrophe the Gazan people have ever known, are still refusing to concede, release the hostages, and let the devastated coastal enclave begin its long road to recovery.
Hannah Katzir
The most recent repercussion of the Hamas massacre of October 7 was the death on Tuesday of Kibbutz Nir Oz member Hannah Katzir, 76, who was released along with 50 other hostages held by Hamas in a deal in November 2023Katzir was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. Her husband, Rami, was murdered during the massacre. Her son Eldad, taken captive the same day, was later murdered in Gaza.Katzir’s daughter, Carmit, had written in December last year that her mother returned from captivity “both heartbroken and with serious cardiological issues, including broken heart syndrome.”
The Katzirs’ story is just one of many unfathomable tragedies that have befallen thousands of families in Israel on October 7 and since - those who fell then, those who have fallen in battle, and all of those who have not returned home, as the country gathers to celebrate one of the most family-oriented holidays in the Jewish calendar.
Yet, celebrate we will, as the people of Israel continue to choose life over death and light over darkness.
As Rabbi Stewart Weiss states in a column that will appear in this Friday’s Post magazine, “Hanukkah, at its core, is the celebration of miracles - both then and now. Yet exactly which miracles are being referred to is the subject of much debate.”
One way to look at it is that the lights of the hanukkiah have illuminated our path through the interminable darkness and continue to light our way toward redemption, writes Weiss.
So, when we light the first Hanukkah candle tonight, let’s rejoice at what the Jewish people have and what we’ve accomplished – and the existence and durability of the Jewish homeland, of the state of Israel.
But let’s also think about the Jews suffering from persecution and antisemitism, who are too afraid to display the hanukkiah in their windows and will light in secrecy inside, reminiscent of the dark periods of Jewish history.
And let’s think about the hostages, some languishing below ground with their mental and physical health deteriorating on a daily basis. If anyone deserves a Hanukkah miracle, it’s them and their families.
May the lights from our hanukkiah illuminate a path that reaches them and sends them a message of hope amid their darkness.
As the great Jewish poet Leonard Cohen wrote, “There is a crack, a crack in everything… That's how the light gets in.”
This year, the miracle of Hanukkah will be to find those cracks and shine the light through.