Chanukah – Lights of Hope
Two months on from the 7th of October terrorist attack, the ECAJ, Lights of Hope and Moriah College held a Chanukah event, commemorating the atrocity and bringing in the holiday as a community.
Ofir Tamir and Amit Parpara watch Rabbi Krebs light the first candle
At Sydney’s Moriah College organisers explained that celebrating Chanukah as a time of joy and hope is not incongruent with still fighting for the lives of those still held captive by Hamas but are traditions that are essential to Jewish identity.
This array of emotions and functions was apparent in the night’s programming, with the evening divided between informative and solemn in the beginning and, after the candles were lit, having a more joyous yet still reflective celebration of Chanukah.
In the centre of the crowd, a large Magen David display shone upward as a beacon of hope.
For Israelis Ofir Tamir and Amit Parpara, whose friend Noa Argamani is still held hostage by Hamas, celebrating at this time created a weird feeling.
Tamir explained: “It’s strange but at the same time we are Jewish and we have the holidays and this is what connects the Jewish community and I am happy that we have that because now everyone here together celebrates that, but at the same time they want the other hostages to come back to Israel, to their home. And I think everyone wants to celebrate but at the same time feel very sad about the situation as well.”
The family on screen
In their speeches, they highlighted the need to bring Noa and the remaining hostages home safely soon, with Noa’s mother, Liora, battling brain cancer. In a video message, Liora states she ‘does not know how long she has left’ and that she wishes ‘for the chance to see my Noa, at home.’
Master Sergeant in the IDF, Nimrod Vromen, expressed that while he does not remember a point in Israel as low as the times they are currently living in, there has been an improvement in the IDF’s morale over recent weeks. This change, he believes, is due to one-hundred and fifty per cent of the expected reservists now joining units in the war. “You see, we screwed up. We had a terrible intelligence failure on October 7. It caused us to lose hundreds of civilians in a horrible massacre. It caused us to face the vengeance and savagery of our enemies and Gaza. And I don’t know of many people who would have just picked themselves up from that like we did. The second reason that morale is high is that we set goals for this war. The goals for this war are to eradicate Hamas, to remove them from all positions of power, and to return our hostages.”
Head of Jewish Life at Moriah, Talya Wiseman, spoke of the strength of her students and related current events to the lyrics of Ma’oz Tzur. She said: “We pray tonight with all our strength, that God will bring forth our treasured ones, and bring them all home. We hope, we pray and we unite together. There have been many times during the last two months when it has seemed difficult to make sense of the world. During this devastating time, I have seen Moriah students lead the way, fighting darkness with light and evil with goodness and kindness. Praying for Israel, raising money for victims of terror, writing letters, standing staunchly and proudly with our brothers and sisters in Israel, and wavering in their love of our homeland and resolute in their belief of our right to exist and live in peace.
Opening his address by acknowledging the eighty-four soldiers who have lost their lives in this war so far, Alex Ryvchin, Co-CEO of the ECAJ, then quoted King Solomon, ‘There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.’ He continued: “The story of Chanukah shows us that to preserve life and way of life, sometimes you need to fight for it. And our history shows us that soon this war will be won. Do not doubt it. And in the ravaged kibbutzim and towns of southern Israel, it will again be a time to plant and harvest. And for all Israel, it will be a time for love and a time for peace.”
It was visible on everyone’s faces that, over two hours, they felt not just sadness and a reflection on an unimaginable horror but also a sense of community and hope. From sombre faces hearing the harrowing story of a mother’s loss of her son and her belief that he is now at peace with his grandparents and the friends that were also lost on the 7th of October to joyous dancing to the incredible voice of former Moriah student Sasha Fisher singing Am Yisrael Chai followed by an impromptu hora as women circled the Magen David.
Nova T-shirt
The Magen David was also lit up orange during the end of the ceremony to honour the lives of the red-headed Bibas brothers, ten-month-old Kfir and four-year-old Ariel, along with their mother Shiri Bibas, who had been held hostage by Hamas. Hamas has since claimed they have died due to Israeli bombing, a claim the IDF is assessing. Yarden Bibas, who is still being held hostage, was held separately from his wife and children.
All photos: Ilan Harris
