Yael Eckstein
As I watched the news of the terrorist shooting unfold in Australia on Sunday, the first night of Chanukah, my heart cried out: What is the answer? What are we called to do when darkness feels everywhere?
I believe the answer is found in the holiday itself.
It is no coincidence that the holiday falls in the dead of winter, during the longest nights of the year. It is no coincidence that this attack occurred precisely when Jews were publicly lighting the menorah. Chanukah teaches us that light must be brought into the darkness, and specifically where the darkness feels strongest. God commands us not to surrender to darkness.
That is why Jewish tradition does not tell us to light the menorah hidden away in a private room. We are commanded to place it by the window, facing the public square. The message is unmistakable: Faith must be visible. Light must be shared. One small flame can illuminate an entire room. One good action can spark a thousand more.
Watching this evil unfold—from Australia to America, from Europe to Israel, from Syria to Christians being persecuted across Africa—I realized something sobering: We can no longer say, “It’s not me.” We can no longer say, “It’s just the Jews,” or “It’s just the Christians.” It is us. Judeo-Christian values are being targeted because they stand for light, for love and for the sanctity of life.
Just last week, I was in New York City. Everywhere I looked, I saw Christmas trees glowing with light. I saw Chanukah menorahs standing proudly in public spaces. The message was clear: Go to the public square with your faith. Do not hide it. Do not dim it. Christmas lights and Chanukah candles are both examples of faith, and faith brings light.
At the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, this belief shapes everything we do. Since Oct. 7, we have distributed more than 6 million meals to those in need. Every single day, we are helping bring Jewish people home from all four corners of the earth—from Ukraine, France, South America and places so dangerous they cannot be publicly named. We have provided medical equipment to hospitals, built more than 100 bomb shelters this year alone, and delivered food and medical care to Druze and Christian families in Syria.
We do this because the Torah commands us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the poor. This is what it means to bring light. It is not symbolic. It is not theoretical. It is action.
In the aftermath of today’s attacks, many people are angry. They say governments are not doing enough to fight antisemitism. They are not wrong, but the question is this: Is God calling us to cower in frustration and point fingers, or is He calling us to act?
Hineni. “Here I am.”
That word appears again and again in the Bible. It is the response of those willing to do what is hard in order to do what is right. At the Fellowship, we do not just demand accountability from others; we hold ourselves accountable. I am here on the ground in Israel, representing millions of Christians who stand with the Jewish people, not just in words but in deeds.
When rockets fall in Israel, we are placing bomb shelters and delivering food. In Ukraine, we are providing heat and care to elderly Holocaust survivors under fire. In Australia, we are helping provide security to Jewish communities under threat. We do not retreat when there is darkness. We stand stronger.
This Chanukah, as I light the menorah with my family, I will pray for the victims in Australia. I will pray for Jewish and Christian communities under attack around the world. But prayer alone is not enough. I will recommit myself to giving more, doing more and saving more lives because that is what God is calling each one of us to do.
Do not let your anger be your only response. Let it fuel action. Step forward in love. Say hineni. Because the world does not need less faith right now. It needs more light.
Yael Eckstein is president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
