For 13 Muslim influencers and imams visiting Israel, this was a Chanukah to remember. The annual fourth candle “Light Up Tel Aviv” celebration, sponsored by CAM, the global Combat Antisemitism Movement, was attended by hundreds at the Daniel Rowing Center on Tel Aviv’s Yarkon River. This event was the group members’ last stop on their tour of the Holy Land.
Their trip included visits to the site of the Oct. 7, 2023, Supernova music festival massacre and kibbutzim facing the Gaza Strip, Haifa, the Druze village of Isfiya and the Lebanese border. It included U.S. Army veteran and Pakistani-Muslim Mansoor Hussain Laghari getting kicked off the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, where he came to pray, for wearing a yellow pin in support of the hostages held in Gaza.
The Chanukah party was part lovefest, celebrating the relationships CAM fosters between Jews and non-Jews, part tribute to those recently killed in Sydney, Australia, and part acknowledgement that antisemitism continues to be a major issue in the world.
Attendees heard short speeches by Muslim and Jewish influencers and leaders, including Loay Alshareef, a leading influencer from the United Arab Emirates, and Montana Tucker, an American Jewish influencer and advocate, who came to the event right from the White House Chanukah party.
Sacha Roytman, CEO of the five-year-old organization, which pioneers global efforts to combat hatred, safeguard Jewish life and address the broader societal impacts of antisemitism, opened the evening by welcoming the diverse group, which included Ambassador Ezra Cohen of Panama. Rashi Elmaliah, board member of the Israel-Australia Chamber of Commerce, paid tribute to those slain in Sydney.
Anila Ali, a Pakistani-American educator, author, civil-rights activist and the founder of the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council, is known for interfaith dialogue and combating extremism. The crowd clapped and cheered as she made the case for the right of the Jewish people to Israel.
“Your connection to Israel can never be disputed—read the Koran!” she said. She spoke movingly of her visit to the Supernova festival site and kibbutzim and assured the assembled that she is working to “build a new generation of Muslim leaders in America.”
Roytman encouraged Ali, who has visited Israel several times, including in 2022 on a mission with Pakistani expatriates. “Come with twice as many next time,” he said.
‘Proud to stand with my Jewish brothers’
Alshareef also made the case for Israel. He playfully noted, “My love for Israel is not because of how great it is, how friendly it is, or for the great food. All true.” He continued, “The greatest thing about Israel is its history, which can never be disputed. I am proud to be here and stand with my Jewish brothers.”
Alshareef singled out Gambian-born Sheikh Musa Drammeh, a community organizer and television host of “Muslim World News,” who is visiting Israel for the first time.
Drammeh, a former Wall Street banker, told JNS that his commitment to Israel and activism dated to 9/11. “My wife and I were both investment bankers until 9/11. We saw what happened and decided to pack up and fix the world. We realized we need to focus on Israel and Palestine. We needed to make sure the Muslim world recognized Israel like all other nations.”
He views support of Israel as based on the Quran. “Any Muslim who is anti-Zionist, anti-Israel or antisemitic is either ignorant or a hypocrite, because the Quran is the most pro-Israel book you can find.”
He proudly notes that he has been critical of New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. “I told him there are lots of Muslims for Israel, and you don’t speak for us.”
Sava Diamandi, counsellor at the Romanian embassy in Israel, who attended the event, said he talked to others about his country’s fight against antisemitism. “We have a history during the Holocaust and had to face the truth because it was hidden for years.
“We see the ghost of the past coming out in the form of antisemitism. We feel it is our historical legacy to connect and build bridges between Romania and Israel,” he said.
Diamandi added that Romania is “on the side of the peace process” and that his country supports an eventual two-state solution.
Ron Segev, a survivor of the Supernova massacre, lit candles for the fourth night of Chanukah. Segev shared his story of survival and rescue of others and his devotion to helping other survivors “as part of my healing journey.”
