Berlin — Holocaust survivors from around the world are set to mark the start of the fifth day of Hanukkah together with a virtual ceremony as Jews everywhere are concerned about the Israel-Hamas conflict and a recent surge in antisemitism in Europe, the United States and other parts of the world.
Holocaust survivors will be able to join an online ceremony of a menorah lighting Monday night to pay tribute to the 6 million Jews who were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust. In addition, several dozen survivors are expected to gather in-person for a menorah lighting at Jerusalem’s Western Wall — the holiest place where Jews can pray.
Greg Schneider, the executive vice president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, said in a statement released ahead of the ceremony, “Holocaust survivors somehow overcame the depravity of concentration camps, death camps and killing centers, among other horrors, to become our living exemplars, providing a roadmap on how light can overcome darkness. Their resilience, their strength and their fortitude leave a truly indelible light in this world.”
The New York-based conference is organizing the event in observance of International Holocaust Survivors Night.
Hanukkah is also known as Judaism’s festival of lights and marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century B.C., after a small group of Jewish fighters, known as the Maccabees, liberated it from occupying Syrian forces.
This year’s holiday comes at a time when many Jews feel traumatized by Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel which killed 1,200 people and in which the militants took some 240 as hostages. Israel responded to the attack with a bombing campaign and a ground offensive that has so far killed more than 18,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.
Several celebrities and world leaders spoke about the attack in messages that will be shown at the ceremony. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in his statement released to The Associated Press, “Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel has affected us all deeply. Something of abyssal evil broke free that day. The perpetrators’ motive is clear: They wanted to hit Israel. They wanted to murder Jews. In its repugnant brutality and abhorrence, however, the terror is also directed against humanity itself.”
Addressing Holocaust survivors, Chancellor Scholz said, “I try to imagine how much the images from Israel, how much antisemitic hatred on the internet and on the streets around the world must be hitting you, of all people right in the heart. This… pains me a lot.”
The virtual event, which starts at 8 p.m. Monday in Germany, will also include musical performances, celebrity guests and messages from Holocaust survivors from around the globe.
Leon Weintraub, a Holocaust survivor from Sweden, who was in Israel during the Hamas attack, shared his experience that day. He said, “On Oct. 7, I woke up from the sirens in the center of Tel Aviv. All at once I was again in September 1939 when the Nazis invaded Poland. A terrible feeling, a shiver, a feeling of dread to be again in a war.”
Weintraub added, “We celebrate Chanukah now, the festival of lights. I hope that the light will also bring the people enlightenment. That people will rethink and look at us people of Jewish descent as normal, equal. Human beings.”
The event will also feature American comedian Billy Crystal, actress Jamie Lee Curtis and actor Jason Alexander, as well as a musical performance from Grammy and Tony Award-winning singer Barry Manilow, and the cast of Harmony.
The virtual ceremony is an opportunity to honor the resilience of Holocaust survivors and to remember the horrors of the Holocaust. It is also a chance to recognize the courage of those who fought and continue to fight against antisemitism and to promote a message of peace and understanding.
Holocaust survivors, their families and all those affected by the Holocaust will be remembered as their stories are shared at the ceremony. This is a reminder of the importance of standing together in the face of hatred
