In the shadow of the Iron Swords war that continues even as there is a cease-fire agreement in Lebanon, and against the backdrop of the turmoil in Syria, the Houthis firing missiles from Yemen, and the negotiations for a deal to return the hostages from the Gaza Strip, millions of Jews in Israel and around the world lit the first candle of Hanukkah on Wednesday evening.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the lighting of the first candle in his office in Jerusalem: "The Houthis will also learn what Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and others have learned, and this will also take time"
(Photo: Noam Matari, GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lit the first candle at his office in Jerusalem and compared the victory of the Maccabees then to the Israeli victories today.
"Like then we are striking at our enemies and those who thought they could cut the thread of our lives here the, this will apply to them all," he said. "The Houthis will also learn what Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and others have learned, and this will also take time"
U.S. President Joe Biden and his wife Jill lit a menorah in front of the White House, joined by Aviva Siegel, freed hostage and wife of Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel.
"I was a hostage in Gaza; I felt it, I saw it, and it should not happen to any other person in the world. I want the light of Hanukkah to fill all the world, extra light, to bring them all back home," she said at the lighting ceremony.
"So light the candles please because we need them this year, to bring them back home. We need them to stop suffering underneath the ground in Gaza; There's at least 50 hostages that are alive, that are screaming to get out of thee and to come out and to be free."
Aviva Siegel, freed hostage and wife of Israeli-American hostage Keith Siegel
President Isaac Herzog lit the first candle of Hanukkah together with injured veteran and IDF soldiers at Beit HaLochem in Tel Aviv.
President Herzog said: “Together with you, I yearn, work, and cry out in every possible way for the immediate return of our brothers and sisters being held hostage in Gaza. I don’t believe that last year during Hanukkah, anyone thought that a hundred of our brothers and sisters would still be in the hands of Hamas terrorists."
President Isaac Herzog tonight lit the candle of Channukah together with injured veteran and IDF soldiers at Beit HaLochem in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Mickey Schmidt)
"We face a cruel enemy that seeks in every way to harm us and to obstruct the return of the hostages, using psychological tactics in negotiations. Against this enemy, I know that we are working, and must continue to work—with creativity, determination, responsibility, and boundless commitment—to bring them back home by any means necessary, whether to the embrace of their families, ought to be laid to rest with dignity."
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'The hostages are in clear and immediate danger to their lives. With every passing day, the threat to their lives increases,' President Herzog said
(Photo: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
Soldiers in the field are also lighting for Hanukkah
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An Israeli soldier lights candles as soldiers gather to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, near the Israeli-Lebanon border
(Photo: Shir Torem/ Reuters)
In various sectors, including the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, soldiers were filmed lighting the first candle of Hanukkah. Rabbi Shai Weizmann from the Tzohar organization, led the lighting of candles inside the Gaza Strip, and as part of the ceremony, he offered a prayer for the return of the hostages, composed by Tzohar.
In the Gaza Strip, where IDF soldiers are celebrating their second Hanukkah holiday in the shadow of war, several large 4.5-meter-high menorahs have been erected. "A little light repels a lot of darkness," said Rabbi David Schatz of Chabad youth, who works hard to give soldiers the opportunity to celebrate Hanukkah, even in complex and sensitive places. Giant menorahs have been erected at IDF posts from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south.
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Israeli soldiers gather to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, near the Israeli-Lebanon border
(Photo: Shir Torem/ Reuters)
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Israeli soldiers receive donuts as they celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, near the Israeli-Lebanon border
(Photo: Shir Torem/ Reuters)
Candle for the hostages
The lighting of the first candle of the holiday took place at the Western Wall plaza under the sign "Lighting the Light for the Hostages," with the participation of hostage families. Chief Rabbi David Yosef, encouraged the families of the hostages and wished that the hostages would return safely to their families, healthy in body and soul. After the lighting of the central menorah, the families of the kidnapped lit the "Candle for the Hostages" in prayer for the speedy return of their loved ones home.
Lighting the First Chanukah Candle at the Western Wall Plaza with Families of the hostages
(Photo: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation)
Lighting the First Chanukah Candle at the Western Wall Plaza with Families of the hostages
(Photo: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation)
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"Lighting the Light for the Hostages" at the Western Wall Plaza
(Photo: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation)
Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Places, Shmuel Rabinovitch, said: "Today, as then, we believe in the victory of light over darkness. We believe that good will prevail. We believe that very soon we will light candles in the courtyards of your sanctuary, together with our kidnapped ones, together with our soldiers, together with our wounded and evacuees. That everyone will return home soon."
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After the lighting of the central menorah, the families of the hostages lit the "Hostage Candle," praying for the swift return of their loved ones to their homes
( Photo: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation)
Ofer Greenbaum, father of Major Ishai Netanel who fell in Lebanon, at the lighting ceremony in 'Hagvurah' the Heroes' Tent in Jerusalem
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Noam Levy, an IDF soldier who survived death in the war, lights a Hanukkah candle alongside Lt. Col. Dr. A, in the newborn nursery at Assuta Ashdod Hospital
Critically injured soldier lit a candle at the hospital
Noam Levy, an IDF soldier from the Nahal Brigade who was critically injured in the Gaza Strip during the Iron Swords War, lit the first Hanukkah candle with the doctor who saved his life at the Assuta Public Hospital in Ashdod. Levy, who received life-saving treatment at the hospital after being wounded in combat, lit the candle together with Major Dr. A., a doctor in one of the IDF's special units, who provided him with initial treatment in the field and ordered his rapid evacuation. The event took place in the hospital's nursery - a symbol of the victory of life, renewal and faith in the future.
Levy said at the event: "For me, this year's Hanukkah is a holiday of a personal miracle. I am grateful to Dr. A. and the team at Assuta Ashdod who brought me back to life. Lighting the first candle here, in a place that brings life into the world – this is proof that no enemy can extinguish our light."
The doctor, Major Dr. A., shared: "On Hanukkah we remember that a few against many can win, and in the great darkness one can find the light. Seeing Noam here, standing with me and lighting a Hanukkah candle in the nursery, is the fulfillment of the values we fight for – life, hope and victory.
Injured policeman's personal miracle
Police Major Ofir Hagbi was critically injured in a shooting attack at the Shalem police station in the Jerusalem district, just days after the outbreak of the war. Since then, he has been investing his efforts in rehabilitation with the goal of returning to walking and functioning. On Wednesday night, he participated in lighting the first candle of Hanukkah. "The process of recovery and rehabilitation is a difficult process, and every time I meet you, I get excited, and you are the ones who encourage me. I want to wish you a happy Hanukkah holiday," Hajavi said during the emotional ceremony.
During the lighting ceremony, the commander of the Shalem Station, Lieutenant Colonel Shalom Cohen, said: "Hanukkah is a holiday that revolves entirely around miracles that have happened to the Jewish people. Today, too, we are privileged to celebrate and note a private miracle that is actually your case, Ofir. The fact that you are here with us is nothing less than a visible miracle. The process of recovery and rehabilitation that you have gone through and are still going through is nothing less than a miracle. Today, you are honoring us by lighting the candle for your personal victory, and undoubtedly for our victory as the Shalem Station and as the people of Israel as a whole."
Lighting Hanukkah candles at the Kiryat Shmona Hesder Yeshiva
Yeshivas' return
The Kiryat Shmona Hesder Yeshiva held the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah accompanied by dancing and singing. Last year, the yeshiva was forced to celebrate Hanukkah away from its permanent building, but recently the students who are not currently serving in the military returned to the study hall in the northern city.
Another yeshiva that was forced to relocate last year, and this year is celebrating again in its permanent location is the Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot. The yeshiva lit the first candle of Hanukkah with a prayer “for the success of the people of Israel, for the return of the hostages and for the safe return of our heroic warriors.” The students and staff sang “Maoz Tzur” with devotion, with a small change: instead of “And there is no end to the evil days,” they sang “And there is an end to the evil days” – in hope for good and peaceful days.
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A candle is lit in Kiev at a menorah containing the remains of a Russian drone.
(Photo: Jewish Community in Kiev – JCC)
A menorah from the remains of a drone that hit a Jewish school
Still in the shadow of the war with Russia, about 500 members of the Jewish community in Kiev, Ukraine gathered to light the first candle of Hanukkah in the courtyard of the Or Avner - Perlina school, together with the head of the Ukrainian intelligence department and special advisor to President Zelensky, Kirill Budanov.
The menorah, designed by a local artist, incorporates metal parts from a drone that hit the Jewish school. Its base is decorated with interlocking human figures symbolizing unity, and the candles are placed in defused shell casings from the Ukrainian army.
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The menorah in Ukraine incorporated the remains of a drone that crashed into a Jewish school
(Photo: Jewish Community in Kiev – JCC)
In October, just hours before the start of the school day, a Russian drone struck the Jewish school in the Ukrainian capital. The strike caused significant damage to the building, but miraculously there were no casualties among the students and employees of the educational institution. Following the incident, the community expanded its humanitarian activities and added psychological support for its members, with the assistance of the Association for the Advancement of the Jewish Community of Israel and Ukraine.
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In the presidential bunker of the Jewish President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah was held
(Photo: FJCU/Ukrainian Presidential Office)
In the bunker of the Ukrainian president
In the presidential bunker of the Jewish President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah was held this evening with the participation of Chabad emissaries and the state's rabbis. The event was organized, as every year, by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine (FJCU). The event is taking place in the shadow of a severe attack that Ukraine has been under since early morning. The Russian army has launched hundreds of missiles and drones at energy infrastructure in many cities. Due to the increase in rocket attacks in recent days, including on Kiev, the rabbis were asked to ensure that the ceremony would be short and with as few participants as possible, out of a desire to protect their safety.
At the president's request, the lighting took place using the elegant menorah that he received about a year ago from Argentine President Javier Milei, on the day of his inauguration as president, with the assistance of the chief Chabad emissary in Argentina, Rabbi Zvi Greenblatt.
Zelensky said after the lighting by the rabbis: "Almost three years have passed since the start of the war, and despite the terror we saw today in attacks on civilians, we are winning against all predictions – few against many, weak against those who were portrayed as one of the strongest armies in the world, pure against impure. We will win and we are already winning because there is no other choice. I am proud of you, the rabbis of the state, for remaining here with us despite the difficult war and despite your ability to escape from here.
Frozen Hanukkah Menorahs
In the freezing cold of minus 15 degrees, on the main pedestrian street in the center of the city of Samara in Russia, an ice menorah was built. The city's rabbi, Shlomo Deitch, initiated this menorah, which attracts many Jews from all over the area. The ice menorah model has taken over quite a few places in the world, including Siberia and downtown Manhattan. The menorahs are built by artists and are becoming a tourist attraction.
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Lighting a Hanukkah menorah in the city of Samara, Russia
(Photo: Courtesy of Chabad)
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Tourists and media photographers watch and document the placing of the menorah at the foot of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
(Photo: Berlin Chabad)
Lighting in South Korea
Chabad's giant menorah in South Korea was lit early Wednesday by the US ambassador to the country, Philip Goldberg. Rabbi Asher and Moses Litzman established the Chabad House in Seoul about 16 years ago and since then it has become a Jewish hub for residents and visitors from around the world.
The giant Hanukkah menorah was designed in the shape of a spinning top, combining hundreds of colorful spinning tops, which, together with the colorful lighting, turned the menorah into a spectacular creation. After the central lighting, a Hanukkah party was held at the Chabad House located in downtown Seoul.