Jewish and Israeli Holidays
“Candle-lighting is more than a burning flame,” Danny Danon said at an event marking the holiday at the United Nations. “It is a true declaration that darkness can be driven out.”
The Chanukah events at Judaism’s second-holiest site will be held under the slogan, “For the miracles, the mighty deeds and the wars.”
“By convening at this time, you are excluding a segment of our community from participating in an important public forum,” Alderman Debra Silverstein wrote.
“As we gather here tonight, extensive efforts are being made to bring about a new hostage deal,” said Michael Herzog, the Israeli envoy in Washington.
“The light of truth always overcomes the darkness of terror,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson during the ceremony, which used his personal menorah.
President Joe Biden calls on Jews to “keep the faith” as he pledges to free the remaining hostages from Gaza.
Holiday kits are being distributed as communities plan central menorah-lighting ceremonies, despite Russian attacks.
From Tunis, Ethiopia and Holon to Los Angeles and New York, the makings of an oil-rich, taste-tingling Chanukah that touches on many Jewish traditions.
“This is truly a life-saving initiative,” Larry Kraut, who supports nighttime safety efforts by the Orthodox Union, told JNS.
“Many people find frozen food to be more convenient and certainly don’t have the time to make latkes from scratch,” the historian Hasia Diner said.
The primary election is scheduled for June 3, which coincides with the holiday, meaning that observant Jews won’t be able to go to the polls.
“It is vital that all City Council members are given the opportunity to debate this issue and cast their vote in order to represent all of our diverse communities,” Alderman Debra Silverstein said.
