In the last 24 hours, at least 15 Jews were massacred and over 25 were injured on Bondi Beach in Australia. A Jewish home was attacked by a gunman in Redlands, Calif., where the video shows him screaming “Free Palestine”, and “F*** the Jews!” We now know that the shooting the other day at Brown University that killed two people and injured nine others was a targeted shooting: it was in the classroom of a Jewish Professor who taught at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and whose specialty is the intersection of economics and Jewish Studies, focusing on the impact of immigrants on the U.S. and Israel.
Jews are being attacked not only in Israel, but in the Diaspora. Jews are being killed at their celebrations and gatherings. And we’re not alone, as all people of faith are being attacked worldwide. Christians are being killed from Nigeria to China, where leaders like Pastor Ezra Jin are being imprisoned for their faith. The word “Hanukkah” literally means “dedication.” And now, at the time of the holiday of “dedication,” we must remember to re-dedicate ourselves to God, to our religion, to Israel, and to each other.
Not just Jews, but all people of faith must remember the words that have been chanted so many times in the last 80 years: Never Again.
I am not calling for armed conflict (although I do believe that every person of faith should own a firearm and be trained in it). I am not suggesting that anyone go looking for a fight, God forbid. But I am suggesting that we remember the Maccabees and all of our ancestors who did not back down, who refused to assimilate, who denied becoming secular and losing their conscious relationship with God in favor of deepening their religious practices.
These terrorists, be they in Australia or Redlands, seek to intimidate Jews to turn their backs on Judaism. They seek to frighten people out of religion and into secularism. They hope to scare us into hiding in the shadows and denying our faith tradition.
Never Again.
We know from history what happens when a person of faith hides his religiousity: the hate gets worse. We know from the last century what happens to the Jew who chooses assimilation to make it easy — to “go along to get along”: they too ended up in the death camps.
Never Again.
Hanukkah is the time to publicly celebrate our religion. To be proud and strong together. To fight against Jew-hatred, as well as the hatred against Christians in too many places in the world. That doesn’t mean to physically fight at this time, but it does mean to force our politicians and law enforcement to do their jobs and protect Jews and Christians. It does mean to become active politically and ensure that no more candidates like Zohran Mamdani in New York or Anthony Albanese in Australia get elected, for without Albanese’s constant and consistent acceptance of Jew-hatred in Australia during the last few years, the event on Bondi Beach would not have happened. Observing Hanukkah means acting as individuals and communities to combat the hatred against people of faith that has become institutionalized domestically and abroad in so many ways. And while it means to choose faith over fear, it does NOT mean to be foolish.
Never Again.
This is not the time to allow the God-hating bullies to intimidate us into assimilation. “Hanukkah” means “dedication,” and it is the time to dedicate ourselves to bringing the divine light of God’s presence into our lives and the lives of the world.
For if that light of God gets snuffed out through our fears and assimilation, and replaced with a love of secularism, then “Never Again” just becomes empty words.
So what do we need to do during this week-long holiday of Hanukkah? We need to gather together safely as communities and light the lights of Hanukkah. We need to attend as many Christmas tree lightings as we can. Together as Christians and Jews. Together as religious communities to light the candles of freedom,
EVERYONE OF US NEEDS TO ATTEND AS MANY HANUKKAH AND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK AS POSSIBLE. We need to light the candles in our homes privately, but also attend planned celebrations that include armed security to keep us safe. And that is important: these gatherings need to be protected by our own armed security. It should be a Jewish mantra in these times that faith over fear does not mean being foolish.
By celebrating together, we bring God’s light into the world. Jesus was born, lived, and died as a Jew, and we can be guaranteed that he observed the Festival of Hanukkah 2,000 years ago. His observance of this holiday is even mentioned in John 10:22-23.
And so, I invite every fellow Jew to gather in prayer and holiday celebration with Christian brothers and sisters during this holiday season. And I invite and welcome all my Christian friends to come light the candles and celebrate Hanukkah with Jewish communities. If you are in Southern California, it would be my privilege to have you join us at our temple’s Hanukkah celebrations.
So let us celebrate Hanukkah together. May we observe it as we are commanded to: proudly and publicly. Together as people of faith, may we bring the light of dedication to God into our lives and the world.
And when we do observe this Festival of Dedication together, we are making sure that the words “Never Again” remain a true promise to ourselves and to the world.
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