Siblings In Captivity

Dear friends,

We are all waking up today with heavy hearts after the horrifying and painful news from Sydney. We mourn the souls that were taken, including our Chabad colleague Rabbi Eli Schlanger, of blessed memory, who were brutally killed in a targeted antisemitic attack against Jews gathered to light a menorah. We pray for the complete healing of the injured and hold close the entire Jewish community in Sydney and around the world. This pain is deep, personal, and very real.

Tonight’s gathering is dedicated to standing with our brothers and sisters in Sydney — to honor the victims, to pray for the complete recovery of the wounded, and to respond to darkness with light.

Chanukah teaches us that darkness is not defeated by fear or silence, but by adding light. Precisely at moments like this, we respond by standing taller, strengthening one another, and living our Jewish lives openly and proudly. Lighting the menorah is not only a ritual, it is a statement that our souls burn bright and cannot be extinguished.

Tight security will be present throughout the evening.