Dear Friends,

Lighting candles feels especially miraculous in times that feel especially dark.

It is unimaginable that it is now the second Hanukkah with hostages continuing to sit in darkness, the hell of captivity, after 441 days.

Hanukkah — a holiday about Jewish survival and the victorious fight of the few against the many and the small against the mighty — reminds us that the Jewish People have faced existential challenges throughout our history. There have been so many moments when our future was hanging in the balance, but one of the secrets of Jewish survival has been the refusal to allow others to define us and a relentless commitment to our own agency. No matter what happens to us, we reserve the right and take the responsibility to make sense of our experiences and do everything in our power to change ourselves and our world for the better. Often, this is in the face of unthinkable odds.

None of us can predict the future. Who knows how long one cruse of holy oil will last? But we must have the faith and the courage to strike a match and light the candle. We can create light right here and right now — a brighter world beginning with one candle, one spark at a time.

I am so grateful for all the ways that each of you bring your unique light to our community and our dark world, and I invite us all to join with the hostage families and people around the world to illuminate our menorahs with the hope and prayer that the hostages emerge from darkness to light and return home.

Chag Urim Sameach — Happy Hanukkah.