Rededicating our Solidarity with Gaza: A Tzedek Chicago Supplement for Hanukkah 5786

Ner hashem nishmat adam: “The lamp of the Holy One is the Soul of Humanity.”  

This classic line from the Biblical book of Proverbs calls out to us with profound moral force this Hanukkah. As we prepare to observe our festival of Jewish freedom and liberation, Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza continues with no end in sight.  The total death toll of the genocide over the past twenty six months has now unimaginably surpassed 70,000 - with untold scores of lives lost beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. Since the latest “ceasefire” began in October, the Israeli military has continued to bombard Gaza, killing hundreds. We cannot - we will not - stand idly by.

This Hanukkah, Tzedek Chicago invites you to use this supplement as you light the Hanukkiah, dedicating each of the eight nights of the festival to a specific group of Palestinians who have been subjected to grave and deadly harm during the course of the genocide. Each group is represented here by individuals whose lives and martyrdom testify to the dignity, humanity and resilience of the Palestinian people. We encourage you to read their stories aloud each night after reciting the Hanukkah blessings. We also invite you to recite this poetic rendering of “Hanerot Hallalu” - “We Light These Lights for Gaza.”

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If the lights of Hanukkah are truly to represent the light of freedom and liberation, let us kindle them in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Let us honor the memories of these beautiful souls by rededicating ourselves to a future where all are free, from the river to the sea. 

“The lamp of the Holy One is the Soul of Humanity.” Ken Yehi Ratzon - so may it be.