“This people of mine, this nation of mine, has been such a light to me.”
This week, as Jews around the world celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, these words are fitting, aren’t they?
“In this holiday of lights, I just wish for one miracle. For the hostages to come home and the war to end…”
These words, spoken with both sadness and hope, perfectly summarize how all of us here in the Holy Land are feeling, as we enter the holiday season.
With Hanukkah this year coming at the same time as Christmas, it is a wonderful reminder for us all—Christians and Jews— that God’s light continues to shine through the darkness, and He continues to perform wondrous miracles which we still witness, and pray for, each day.
While Hanukkah commemorates the miracle of oil that lasted for eight days, it also celebrates the miraculous victory of a small rag-tag group of Jews, known as the Maccabees, over a much more powerful enemy who was trying to destroy their faith. The story of Hanukkah is a story of survival. It’s a story of heroism. And it’s a story of miraculous victory—of light over darkness, freedom over oppression.
This season of light and miracles is also a poignant reminder that the people of Israel are now more than 400 days into a battle for our very survival. Like last year, we observe Hanukkah against a backdrop of war, suffering, and loss. And as we have for thousands of years, we continue to defend our land and our faith, and trust that God will bless us with victory. With survival.
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This Hanukkah, I want to share with you eight incredible stories of Jewish heroes whose lives have inspired and encouraged me during this season of darkness. All eight of their stories bring light to the darkness, and the miracles they experienced bring me hope this Hanukkah. I pray they will bring you light and hope, too.
Today, I share with you the remarkable story of Eli Cohen, a school bus driver, and Tzachi Eliyahu, head of the council for Ein Yaakov, in northern Israel. This particular community is located eight miles from the Lebanese border. Despite the escalation of rocket fire and hostilities with Hezbollah on the border in recent months, Ein Yaakov was not evacuated, and life continued.
On this particular day, the order came to release children from school earlier than usual because of a rocket alert. Eli picked up his students and began the route home to Ein Yaakov. Just as they arrived, alarms began to sound and a heavy volley of rockets began to land all around the bus.
Eli acted immediately. He got all 45 children off the bus, telling them to leave their backpacks and belongings behind. He was then joined by Tzachi, one of the first responders to the scene. Together they ushered the children into a nearby mobile bomb shelter that had been placed there only two years earlier by a generous supporter of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Once inside the shelter, the children were clearly panicked. Eli did his best to calm them down, and began singing to help calm their nerves. Some of the children joined in, and thanks to his quick thinking, a semblance of calm was established. Miraculously, none of the children were hurt and all were returned to their parents safely at the end of the day.
Tensions remain high along the Lebanese border despite a fragile ceasefire. Tzachi and other first responders remain committed to defending and protecting their community. “If a hair on the head of a child here is harmed, woe to those who make such decisions,” he said.
But just as God performed miracles on this holy ground thousands of years ago for the Maccabees and the Jewish people, the stories of Eli and Tzachi remind me that He still performs miracles every single day here in Israel.
This Hanukkah, we celebrate those miracles and look with hope and faith to the day when peace will be restored to our homeland. As Tzachi said, “My hope for Hanukkah is that Israel will triumph in all its battles for survival and that we will be strong and united so that Israel becomes great and a light unto the nations, as it is meant to be.”
Their story is also a poignant reminder that the people of Israel continue to suffer as they fight against the darkness of terrorism. Now more than ever, they need your prayers and support. During this holiest time of year, I ask our Christian friends continue to light the way for their Jewish brothers and sisters. Together, like the Maccabees, we can overcome our enemies and conquer darkness with the light of faith.
Yael Eckstein is President and CEO of The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, one of the world's largest religious charitable organizations. The Jerusalem Post's 2023 Humanitarian Award recipient and 4-time honoree on its 50 Most Influential Jews list, Yael is a Chicago-area native based in Israel with her husband and their four children.
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