“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.
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 incredible story of Tamar Yifrach, an 83-year-old Jewish woman originally from Morocco, who in the darkest day of her life experienced God’s miraculous protection just as the Maccabees and the Jewish people had more than two thousand years ago.
As a young woman, Tamar had followed God’s call and made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) to raise her family in their biblical homeland. On Oct. 7, 2023, she was visiting her daughter’s family on Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza border, when the horrific Hamas terrorist attack began.
Hearing the sirens, Tamar and her family rushed to their safe room. The family huddled in horror as they heard the terrorists enter their home and begin shooting at the door. One bullet penetrated the door, wounding Tamar’s grandson. Covered in blood, the family remained in the safe room for 36 hours, praying and waiting for rescue.
A woman of deep faith, Tamar reads daily from her Book of Psalms and keeps it with her always. But she didn’t remember taking her Book of Psalms into the safe room that day. In what Tamar describes as a miracle from God, she saw the holy book lying on the floor and began reading from Psalm 23. Minutes later, Israeli soldiers entered the house and rescued them.
Today, the sense of suffering and loss is not over for Tamar and her family. With the help of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Tamar and her family have been relocated to Tel Aviv. We continue to support them as they fight to return to a normal life.
Despite this upheaval, Tamar continues to read daily from her Book of Psalms and holds on tightly to her faith. As she and her family once again gather around to light the menorah this Hanukkah, her hope for this season of light and miracles is for peace.
“I wish that there will be peace, that all the hostages will return home quickly, and that all our soldiers will be healthy and return to their families,” she says.
When I read the words from Psalm 23 that so comforted Tamar in her time of need, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me,” I am reminded once again how the flame of faith can overcome the darkness. God’s provision and protection are always there for all who come to Him in faith and hope.
Tamar’s story is 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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