Amid the growing antisemitism on U.S. campuses and across the world, particularly in light of the war in Gaza, New York Governor Kathy Hochul participated in the candle-lighting ceremony of the world's largest Hanukkah menorah on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Monday. Moments before Rabbi Shmuel Butman, director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, lit the menorah, the governor addressed the crowd.
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“Hannukah is a reminder of the strength, the resiliency, and the ability to find light through darkness,” she said. And if ever in our history in New York we have needed to find light after darkness, it is right now.”
Hochul also addressed New York’s Jewish community, saying “I want to make sure everyone knows that I’m working hard to keep you all safe. We are making sure that everywhere you go to worship and celebrate this great holiday, that you will be safe because there is no room for hate in the great state of New York.”
The world's largest menorah has stood in Manhattan for 50 years, bringing it to the heart of the American mainstream. Every year, the lighting ceremony is broadcast on prominent media outlets in the United States, becoming an integral part of Jewish life and an inseparable part of American culture.
“The lesson from the Menorah is as strong as it is timely: Just like Judah the Maccabee did not negotiate with the enemy, neither should we,” rabbi Butman said at the event.
The governor's participation in the ceremony touched many American Jews. The governor also revealed a personal anecdote to the audience, saying she received the news of her father's death while she was preparing for a visit to Israel after October 7. Despite her personal loss, she added she was determined to head to Israel in order to show her solidarity.
“I went to the Wailing Wall the next morning [after my father’s passing], I put two messages in. One for the people of Israel because they were dealing with such pain and suffering, and I wanted to comfort them. And also one for my father,” she said.
“All he wanted to do was go to Israel. He had been there just a few years earlier. He had gone to the Wailing Wall as well. So it was important for me to go.”
After the ceremony, the governor spoke with dozens of Jews who wanted to thank her for attending the lighting. “There’s a Jewish saying that a small light pushes away a lot of darkness," Rabbi Butman said during the event, "we’re confident and believe that this is what will happen now as well."
In the city of Odesa, Ukraine, an unusual event took place Monday. Due to the ongoing and intense war in the area over the past two years, residents of the city are prohibited from holding public events, mainly due to the lack of bomb shelters.
"We decided to hold a candle lighting without an audience," Chabad emissary and Odessa’s rabbi, Avraham Wolff, said. "An event without music, without fireworks, without a stage, and any speeches – unlike every other year at our festive Hanukkah event. But what happened in the minutes that followed simply amazed us.
“Suddenly, more and more Jews began to gather at the lighting ceremony. From a few individuals, it turned into dozens and then hundreds of Jews. All without any sort of formal invitation. Of course, we made an effort to ensure that everything happened quickly so that we could disperse the event and not endanger the participants," he explained.
Rabbi Wolf further added that a separate Hanukkah event took place within a protected space for the children at a Jewish daycare in the city.
In Nigeria, a unique Hanukkah ceremony took place that brought together diplomats, local crowds, and IDF soldiers who attended the ceremony remotely. The ceremony was held as a sign of solidarity with Israel.
As part of this, 1,200 candles were lit throughout the event, each representing a victim of Hamas’ attack on October 7. "The candles are intended to show us that light can come even from the darkest moments," explained Chabad emissary Rabbi Yisrael Ozan.
The orange lighting was chosen as a sign of solidarity with Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the Israeli children still being held captive by Hamas. "It's a reminder that even thousands of kilometers away from Israel – our hearts can beat as one, in unity and solidarity," Rabbi Ozan added.