Hanukkah arrives this year with a feeling our people had nearly forgotten. For two years, fear has shadowed our homes and thinned our joy. The hostages lived in darkness, and much of the Jewish world felt the same. Now they are home. The Israel-Hamas conflict is over, and Israel stands firm and unbroken. A weight has been lifted from our collective chest. After everything that followed October 7, 2023, this moment in time carries uncommon force. It feels like a miracle we witnessed ourselves.
When we say “Ness gadol hayah sham” (“A great miracle happened there”) in the Diaspora and “Ness gadol hayah po” (“A great miracle happened there”) in the Land of Israel, we honor our ancestors, yet this year the words speak to our own lives.
Families kept a seat open at Shabbat tables. Streets were filled with hostage posters. People wore bracelets that marked time, not style. These reminders settled into Jewish life from Jerusalem to Johannesburg and from Sydney to South Florida. The entire Jewish world sat inside the same unspoken prayer.
The return of the hostages restored our breath. It gave strength to families who had endured a torment no one should ever face. It revived something essential within our people. This homecoming stands as a moral triumph. It affirms a principle at the core of Jewish life: Every Jewish soul carries infinite worth, and we reject any world where one of our own slips into silence.
Hanukkah this year tells a second story.
Israel confronted enemies who believed they could break our country, divide our people, and turn the world against us. They believed Israel stood alone. They believed Jewish resolve would crack. They believed wrong.
Israelis fought for the right to live freely
Israel faced coordinated threats and prevailed. Israelis fought for the right to live freely in their own land, without terror and without the constant shadow of annihilationist hatred. The security Israel now enjoys reflects courage that echoes across our history.
Victory carries deep meaning. It secured Israel’s future, protected Jewish lives, and proved again that our enemies misjudged the strength of a free people.
Another truth emerged alongside that victory. The Jewish world discovered a renewed sense of shared purpose. We supported each other across continents and across every line that usually divides us. That solidarity did not overshadow Israel’s achievement. It reinforced it. It gave our people the confidence and strength to confront a difficult chapter without fear or hesitation.
We stand stronger today than we did on October 6. Not because the threats have diminished; they remain severe. We stand stronger because we faced them as one Jewish people.
Hanukkah arrives during a surge of global antisemitism. The hatred that erupted after October 7 grew louder, sharper, and more brazen. It spread across campuses, streets, parliaments, and international bodies. Old lies returned with new slogans. Many leaders who speak easily about human rights lost their voices when Jews needed moral clarity. The world revealed a truth our history taught long ago. Antisemitism mutates quickly, and it often finds eager hosts.
We cannot ignore this reality. Our fight for safety and dignity continues in every arena, from government chambers to digital spaces to the daily lives of ordinary Jews. Yet this moment sheds steadier light: We understand the dangers more clearly, and our own strength even more.
Hanukkah teaches a truth that guides every chapter of our story. Jews endured persecution, exile, and violence. We rebuilt. We returned. We protected each other. We brought our people home. Each generation confronted trials that seemed impossible. Each generation answered with courage drawn from memory and conviction.
As the flames rise from our hanukkiot this year, they will illuminate more than the past. They will illuminate the future we intend to build.
Miracles do not belong only to ancient days. They take shape when Jews refuse to despair, when we choose unity over fracture, and when we defend the Jewish future with clarity and strength. The light of Hanukkah reminds us that darkness never defines our destiny; our response does.
May this holiday bring gratitude for those who returned, pride in our resilience, and faith in a Jewish future shaped by courage, purpose, and the unbroken spirit of our people.
Happy holiday of lights!
The writer is the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the recognized central coordinating body representing 50 national Jewish organizations on issues of national and international concern. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions of all member organizations.