…and on from Walt Secord
Once again, I am delighted to wish all my friends and family in the NSW Jewish community a Happy Chanukah.
Chanukah, the festival of lights, marks the liberation of the Jewish people and the miracle of the oil that burned for eight consecutive nights in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. With the lighting of each candle on the menorah, Chanukah celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, freedom over oppression and good over evil.
On a delightful note, this Chanukah will be the first festival that the NSW Jewish community will mark as we start to emerge from the COVID-restrictions. We realise that we are extremely fortunate when we speak to friends and family in Israel, Europe and North America who are still in lock-down and will share Chanukah via zoom.
From Thursday December 10 until Friday December 18, the Jewish community will mark Chanukah. This will occur across the State with various celebrations at Bondi Beach, Martin Place, Double Bay, Maroubra and Byron Bay – as well as in the homes of Jewish families everywhere.
Sadly, we are also reminded by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry that our nation continues to face the scourge of antisemitism with 331 incidents including 188 attacks and 143 threats logged from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020.
This serves as a constant reminder that we must stand together as a community and drive out the darkness. Our society must find the light within and bring warmth to all of those around us.
That said let us each spread our warmth, and our light, by setting an example of resilience, tolerance, peace and goodwill towards all.
As NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel deputy chair and Shadow Treasurer, I wish all Jewish community members a happy Chanukah.
