Candles were lit at Victoria’s parliament to mark the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
The event on December 10 was hosted by Rabbi Chaim Herzog of the Chabad movement in Melbourne and Rabbi Daniel Rabin of the Caulfield Shul, with speeches from guests including Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, Opposition Leader John Pessotto, Caulfield MP David Southwick, Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten and Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon.
Days after the Adas synagogue arson, speeches lamented the rise in anti-Semitism.
“An attack on Australian Jews is an attack on all Australians and an attack on our country. It is un-Australian. It is not our values,” Shorten told the crowd of about 300.
Allan said she understood that while Hanukkah is usually a time of joy, this is a “community full of pain”.
“There’s a reason we call anti-Semitism the oldest form of hatred in the world,” she added. “Whether it’s the evil king who banned Judaism in the Land of Israel thousands of years ago, or the Jewish temple that was destroyed by terrorism on the other side of the world in 2024, it’s the same evil century after century after century, and Jews, century after century after century, have shown the same courage… That courage is why Jews live and why extremists fail.” Alan commented on the “huge synergy” this year with Hanukkah starting on December 25, which is also Christmas, “the day when a Jewish birth was celebrated in Bethlehem,” adding, “It’s a small gesture that says that Jewish values, Christian values, multicultural values, are all Victorian values… An attack on one is an attack on all of us.” Pessotto also commented, “Hanukkah is a very special time for all of us, as we remember that no matter how difficult and complex the challenges we face, no matter how enormous, we will continue to live and find hope.” Another pre-Hanukkah event was held with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) at the East Melbourne Shule on 11 December, led by ADF Chief Rabbi Ralph Genendy and Rabbi David Gutnick with guest speaker Colonel Mike Kelly.
Hanukkah was also celebrated at the Victoria Police Academy on 11 December, alongside Police Chaplains Rabbi Shmuel Karnovsky and Rabbi Rabin, Victoria Police Jewish Network Chair Sergeant Rowan Epstein and Victoria Police Executive Advisor Dan Goodhart.
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday that begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. It commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks and the liberation of the Temple.
These historical events took place in the 2nd century BCE. At that time, the Kingdom of Judea was under Greek control, specifically under King Antiochus IV, who attempted to impose Greek culture and religion on the Jews.
In 167 BCE, a group of Jews, known as the Maccabees, led a revolt against the Greeks. After three years of fighting, the Maccabees succeeded in retaking Jerusalem and cleansing the Temple, which had been desecrated.
After retaking the Temple, the Maccabees held a celebration, and a candle was lit in the Temple using holy oil. Although the amount of oil was only enough for one day, it lasted for eight days, leading to the event being considered a miracle.
The Jewish people commemorated this event by establishing the holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. It is celebrated every year for eight days, during which candles are lit in the Hanukkah and special traditions are observed.
Hanukkah traditions include lighting candles in the Hanukkah (a special nine-branched candelabrum), with a new candle being lit each night. The celebrations also include games, such as dreidel, and eating fried foods such as krotovlenk (fried potatoes) and zalapi (a type of fried doughnut). Hanukkah is a time to celebrate religious freedom and Jewish identity.
Despite the pain and sorrow caused by the terrorists by burning the holiest of Jewish sanctuaries, the Jewish Synagogue, the Jews are patient and silent and have not done anything foolish like others who are ordered by their books to kill, burn and take Jews captive. In fact, they have a true belief that the best way to defend oneself is to ignore the fires of hatred, because if the fire does not find something to eat, it will eat itself and go out.
(Australia Today) congratulates our Jewish family everywhere in Australia and the world, wishing them permanent victory, and continued celebration, joy and happiness, and a happy Hanukkah.