Chanukah on the streets after Bondi Massacre;: Lighting the Menorah as an act of courage and faith

Rabbi Moshe Levin of Beis Bezalel in Los Angeles said public Hanukkah menorah lightings are more important than ever, particularly in the wake of the recent antisemitic attack in Sydney. Speaking at a community gathering, Levin emphasized that the menorah’s flame represents an unbroken spiritual light stretching back more than 2,000 years — a light no empire or act of hatred has ever been able to extinguish. “When things grow dark, Jews don’t retreat,” he said. “We respond by lighting more light.”

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How wise a public Hanukah menorah lighting this week? Chabad Rabbi Moshe Levin, Beis Bezalel, L.A.
 

Referencing the recent killing of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in Australia, Levin said the goal of such violence is to intimidate Jews into silence and fear. Instead, he argued, the proper response is to strengthen Jewish identity and public expression. Drawing on the teachings of King Solomon and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, he noted that Jewish history shows light emerging strongest from darkness, and that pride in Jewish faith is a source of protection rather than vulnerability.

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Levin concluded that public displays of Jewish life are not acts of defiance - but affirmations of continuity and faith. “A little light pushes away a lot of darkness,” he said, adding that each mitzvah strengthens the world and brings humanity closer to redemption.

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