URBANA – The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, started on the evening of December 7. At the University of Illinois, participants are observing the holiday while also reflecting on the current situation in the Middle East.
UIUC provost John Coleman joined members of Illini Chabad to light a menorah in front of the Illini Union Thursday night.
Sophomore Daniel Newman said celebrating with fellow Jewish students makes this tough time easier.
“Sad day for everyone who knows what’s going on in Gaza, and Israel. But being able to be here and show there’s a community and people supporting each other is making every struggle better,” said Newman.
This year’s Hanukkah celebrations come two months after the terrorist group Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 250 more. More than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza started. The ongoing situation has also caused a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in the United States.
Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel urged the crowd to think of the Jewish children who are still being held hostage and unable to join their families for this year’s Hanukkah celebrations.
He also recounted the ancient Israelites who rededicated a Temple in Jerusalem.
“The story of Hanukkah is about how the few in their homeland were being oppressed. And as the whole world watched from the sidelines, the Maccabees [Jewish rebel warriors] stood up and the Maccabees said ‘no one could destroy our people,'” said Rabbi Tiechtel.
“More than just a religion. It’s a group of values and morals that we live up on on a day-to-day basis, which are the same things human morals of giving back, of community, of raising your kids to respect older people.”
