Chanukah came a few days early to the U.S. Capitol, as leaders of the House and Senate joined Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), in lighting the menorah.
It was the third time that congressional leaders lit the candles, a ritual started following the Hamas-led attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
At the time, “the Jewish community was in need of light and a reminder of what miracles can be,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), as he addressed dozens of Jews filling rows of seats at the ceremony.
He noted that this was the first time since the congressional menorah lighting tradition began that there were no living hostages in Gaza, but lawmakers remain committed to bringing home the body of the last hostage still held by Hamas.
The Hamas war and the corresponding rise in Jew-hatred hovered over the ceremony.
“These past years, of course, have not been easy for our Jewish brothers and sisters,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). “But as the Chanukah story makes clear, the Jewish community for thousands of years has been a resilient one.”
“It has been more than two years since the horrors of Oct. 7 and the beginning of a new period of great challenge for Jews in America, of course, in Israel, and throughout the world,” he said.
Schumer likened the ancient Jewish struggle to rising antisemitism now.
“The evil forces of antisemitism, neo-Nazism and other forms of hatred and bigotry are running rampant in our society,” he said. “As we get ready to celebrate Chanukah, let us stand together and send a clear, unmistakable message: The evil forces of antisemitism, hatred and bigotry will never find safe harbor in America.”
The menorah was gifted to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and was made of shrapnel from rockets shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome defensive system.
“I just want to say that we take heart in knowing that even in the face of generations of bigotry, bondage, persecution and exile, the Jewish people have endured and they have flourished, and that at its very essence is what we celebrate today,” Johnson said. “That the light of faith and love and courage and conviction will always guide us on the path to brighter days ahead.”
Schumer, who is Jewish, said the ceremony was especially meaningful.
“The significance of lighting a menorah here in the United States Capitol is not lost on us,” Schumer said. “It’s a reminder of how far the Jewish people have come in our long, winding history.”
