As the Jewish world gets set to celebrate Chanukah with heavy hearts this year, the Jewish Agency for Israel has produced a special kit for use each night titled “In Their Light” to honor the heroes of Oct. 7.
“In Their Light” spotlights eight inspiring stories of courage and heroism shown by men and women during the early events of Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel. Sometimes, their acts of bravery saw them being injured or losing their lives. The Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror has been supporting these and thousands of other bereaved families and families of the injured since that Black Shabbat.
Each night during the eight nights of Chanukah, the Jewish Agency asks individuals around the world to choose one of these heroes’ stories to light up our world by dedicating the night’s candlelight to that person. The kit contains eight stories of courage, as well as two empty cards so people can add their own heroes. Stories of bravery are not limited to the local community or to Jews; everyone is invited to choose his or her own heroes to include.
After lighting the candles and sharing the story of the chosen hero, individuals are asked to share their photos by gathering around the menorah, holding up the card with the hero’s story, and tagging the organization on social networks using the hashtag #InTheirLight.
Thousands of Jewish Agency shlichim (Israeli emissaries) stationed around the world are distributing these heroes’ stories to their communities. In North America, hundreds of shlichim will distribute them along with over 3,000 packs of candles that were ordered from a factory in Sderot, which suffered extensive attacks on Oct. 7 and has since been evacuated.
Mark Wilf, chairman of the board of governors for the Jewish Agency, noted: “The sorrow and grief we are all feeling is unbearable, but through the depths of such darkness, countless stories of valor shine. In ‘Their Light’ allows us to acknowledge some of the heroes of this time and bring glimmers of hope into our homes this Chanukah.”
For more information and the kit, see: https://www.intheirlight.org/.
