Happy Chanukah to all of you in Israel and around the world.

At Chanukah, we celebrate the victory of the Maccabees.

We remember the miracles of that time. We come together as a family and we light together the Menorah. We sing together Maoz Tzur (מַעוֹז צוּר). Each verse reminds us of the enemies our people has faced, over our long history, and our strength as a community as a people. I have celebrated many Chanukhas and I remember nearly all of them; I love all of them; but this Chanukah is for sure a little different.

This has been a year with all kinds of challenges we have all been dealing with the corona virus pandemic. We have lost loved ones; our schools, synagogues, and community centers have been closed; and we still face great uncertainty about the future. The virus has forced us to stay apart, although in our hearts we feel closer than ever.

Chanukah shows us that united we stand together, we are strong.

May the lights of Chanuka give us all strength and bring light to all Jewish people, wherever they are.

Happy Chanukah and Shalom from Jerusalem.