Hanukah is coming soon, so its time to prepare our hanukiyot. Time to buy our candles, clean the hanukiyah, and buy chocolate gelt. Hanukah is fun and beautiful, and I am looking forward to it. I need the light of the candles as the darkness of winter deepens. The Talmud tells us to put the hanukiyah in our windows, so others can see the light. One of my favourite things to do after I have lit the candles every night is to go outside and see the candles reflected against the window.
This year, Hanukah has even more importance. In a time when anti-semitism is clearly on the rise, when shooting deaths of Jews is increasing, when charges of anti-semitism help bring down the Labour Party in the UK, and anti-semitism is a concern on college campuses, we need Hanukah more than ever. Hanukah enables us to celebrate our resiliency through time, and the joy that is part of our religion. This is our season to spread the light of Judaism. This is our time to reveal our pride in who we are as a people, history and faith. We put our physical Hanukiyot in the window, and metaphorically we spread the light of our values to the broader world. As a people, we have contributed an enormous amount to the world, and we will continue to do so.
So, do not be afraid to show our Jewishness. Put our physical Hanukiyot in our windows, our workplaces, and our schools. Fight anti-semitism by being proud, and explicitly living by our values.
Here is a video that reminds us of our strength as a community and religion (thanks to Rabbi Elyse Winick at CJP for sharing it):
