Jewish and Israeli Holidays
At the earlier Hanukkah reception, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized eight Holocaust survivors, remarking they had experienced “evil beyond description.”
“There is a great victory here: The great persistence and continuity of our people, which overcomes all rules of history by the power of our faith and our will,” said the Israeli prime minister.
“The light of the menorah reminds us that when the forces of light and good encounter darkness and hate, without fail, light will always prevail,” said Rabbi Aaron Konikov of Chabad of Roslyn, N.Y.
Hanukkah sends a clear message to all those who falsely call the Jewish people “illegal occupiers.”
The president sent his message to “our Jewish brothers and sisters in the United States, in Israel and around the world,” noting Hanukkah’s origins in the story of rededicating the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
“This is our response to darkness,” says Chabad Rabbi Yonah Blum. “We [were] expecting a lot of people, Jewish and not Jewish, to come out and show solidarity against anti-Semitism and hate.”
In America, just 60 percent of Jews light the menorah for the whole eight days of the holiday; in Israel, 73 percent do.
More than a week after an El Al flight to Israel was diverted to Athens to avoid desecrating the Jewish day of rest, airline complies with demand for a public apology, offers compensation.
After allegations surface that religious passengers aboard an El Al flight became violent towards the crew, rabbi gives airline until Sunday to issue a public apology • Group of platinum and top “haredi” customers to cut up membership cards in protest.
A class-action lawsuit seeks compensation for each of the 180 religious passengers aboard flight diverted to Athens to avoid desecrating Shabbat • Religious passengers also want El Al to publicly retract claims that they were violent towards the crew.
While the decision to land caused some further confusion and consternation about how Shabbat would be kept in Athens on about an hour’s notice, the story at that point began to turn from worry and concern to relief and calm.
News outlets accused religious passengers of violent behavior on a delayed El Al flight from New York to Israel last weekend, but Israel Hayom‘s Yehuda Shlezinger was on board and presents eyewitness details that paint a different picture.
