BE A LIGHT UNTO NATIONS—Celebrate with us during Chanukah
Just when Jews around the globe will be lighting Chanukah candles in their homes and synagogues to commemorate Judah Maccabee’s victory over the armies of Antiochus, the 20th anniversary of Freedom Sunday coincides on the Hebrew calendar.
Join with Jews around the world in celebrating the triumphant struggle of Soviet Jewry -- a prime example of how, throughout history, the Jewish people have overcome insurmountable forces that have tried to destroy a Jewish way of life.
When we light the menorah this Chanukah, we will be reminded of the oppression we defeated thousands of years ago and the terrors we have escaped or survived in this generation. We are not only remembering the heroes and the entire movement to free Soviet Jewry, but also the power of our own collective action. We can continue to be a strong and effective moral force in the world. It is our shared responsibility to be a light unto nations.
Specific resources are being offered to communities throughout the United States in partnership with NCSJ, UJC, JCPA and the Israeli committee including:
- Materials for rabbis across the denominations to use in sermons and synagogue programming. To be delivered through UJC’s Rabbinic Cabinet publication “The Orchard” and specific outreach to the denominations.
- Educational materials for use in formal and informal Jewish educational settings. To be developed in partnership with Beth Hatefutsoth and disseminated in partnership with UJC and others.
- A speaker corps of aliyah activists and refuseniks from Israel. To be organized by the Israeli committee and made available for communities to host as scholars in residence for the weekend.