OPINION:
As Jews around the world began lighting the Hanukkah candles, darkness once again revealed itself. In Australia this weekend, a Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach, where members of the Jewish community had come together to celebrate and light the menorah, was targeted in a horrific act of terror.
At least 15 innocent people were killed. Among the victims was a rabbi devoted to faith, service and community.
As I watched the news unfold, my heart cried out: Lord, what is the answer? What are we called to do when darkness feels everywhere?
I believe the answer is found in the very holiday the Jewish people are now observing.
It is no coincidence that Hanukkah falls in the dead of winter, during the longest nights of the year. It is no coincidence that the Bondi Beach attack occurred precisely when Jews were publicly lighting the menorah. Hanukkah teaches us that light must be brought into the darkness, specifically where the darkness feels strongest. God commands us not to surrender to darkness.
That is why Jewish tradition does not instruct us to light the menorah in a hidden, private room. We are commanded to place it by the window, facing the public square. The message is unmistakable: Faith must be visible. Light must be shared. One small flame can illuminate an entire room. One good action can spark a thousand more.
Watching evil unfold — from Australia to America, from Europe to Israel, from Syria to Christians being persecuted across Africa — I realized something sobering. We can no longer say, “It’s not me.” We can no longer say, “It’s just the Jews” or “It’s just the Christians.” It is us. Judeo-Christian values are being targeted because they stand for light, love and the sanctity of life.
Just last week, I was in New York City. Everywhere I looked, I saw Christmas trees glowing with light. I saw Hanukkah menorahs standing proudly in public spaces. The message was clear: Go to the public square with your faith. Do not hide it. Do not dim it. Christmas lights and Hanukkah candles both proclaim the same truth: that this is a land of faith, and faith brings light.
At the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, this belief shapes everything we do. Since Oct. 7, 2023, we have distributed more than 6 million meals to those in need. Every single day, we are helping bring Jewish people home from all corners of the earth — from Ukraine, France, South America and places so dangerous they cannot be publicly named. We have provided medical equipment to hospitals, built more than 100 bomb shelters this year alone, and delivered food and medical care to Druze and Christian families in Syria.
We do this because Scripture commands us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the poor. This is what it means to bring light. It is not symbolic. It is not theoretical. It is action.
In the aftermath of Sunday’s attack, many people are angry. They say governments are not doing enough to fight antisemitism. They are not wrong, but the question is this: Is God calling us to cower in frustration and point fingers, or is he calling us to act?
Hineni. “Here I am.”
That Hebrew word appears again and again in the Bible. It is the response of those willing to do what is hard to do what is right. At The Fellowship, we do not just demand accountability from others; we also hold ourselves accountable. I am here on the ground in Israel, representing millions of Christians who stand with the Jewish people, not just in words but also in deeds.
When rockets fall in Israel, we are placing bomb shelters and delivering food. In Ukraine, we are providing heat and care to elderly Holocaust survivors under fire. In Australia, we are helping provide security to Jewish communities under threat. We do not retreat when there is darkness. We stand stronger.
This Hanukkah, as I light the menorah with my family, I will pray for the victims in Australia. I will pray for Jewish and Christian communities under attack around the world. Still, prayer alone is not enough. I will recommit myself to giving more, doing more and saving more lives because that is what God is calling each one of us to do.
Do not let anger be your only response. Let it fuel action. Step forward in love. Say hineni. Bring light.
Because the world does not need less faith right now. It needs more light.
• Yael Eckstein is president and global CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, one of the world’s largest religious charitable organizations, and a respected Jewish leader, speaker, bestselling author and award-winning podcast host and humanitarian.
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