Jewish Americans on how the Israel-Hamas war is affecting their Hanukkah celebrations

Read the Full Transcript

• Geoff Bennett:

  While many Jewish Americans are celebrating Hanukkah this week, some of the festivities are being tempered by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and concerns closer to home of antisemitism.

  We spoke with people across the country about what Hanukkah means to them and if they're celebrating it differently this year.

• Rebekah Lowin, New York:

  I'm Rebekah Lowin.

• David Berenson, Ohio:

  My name is David Berenson, and I'm from the Cleveland area.

• Rabbi Jill Perlman, Temple Isaiah:

  I'm Rabbi Jill Perlman, and I serve as the senior rabbi at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, California.

• Gadi Peleg, Owner, Breads Bakery:

  My name is Gadi Peleg, and I'm the founder and owner of Breads Bakery in New York City.

  Rabbi Marc Baker, President and CEO, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston: My name is Marc Baker. I'm the president and CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

  The Hanukkah holiday feels incredibly poignant and in some ways too relevant this year. Hanukkah first and foremost is a story about resistance. It's about our willingness to stand up and fight against people who would try to do us harm. And it's a story about the courage to overcome.

• Rabbi Jill Perlman:

  Certainly, in our synagogue, and I know in synagogues across the country, we will be holding close the over 130 hostages that are still being held in Gaza.

  We are hoping and praying for peace in the region and that all who are suffering, the innocent who are suffering in Gaza, in Israel, that that suffering is able to come to an end and we're able to find a solution that will be one in which all will ultimately be at peace.

• Rebekah Lowin:

  I run a Jewish focused lifestyle blog. So I recently had a post take off on Instagram about how to celebrate in this year, given everything that's going on, both in the Middle East, again, and here at home with the rise of antisemitism.

  Moses said it best: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Oh, that you would choose life so that you and your children may live." So go ahead and host, celebrate, decorate, bake cupcakes with tiny potatoes on them. Whatever you do, just don't do it lightly.

  So I think one reason why the video went viral is that people within the Jewish community are looking for that permission to resume normal life and to celebrate this holiday that we all love so much and to do it with some joy in our hearts.

• Gadi Peleg:

  It is, of course, the celebration of the miracle of the oil, and that miracle is celebrated by eating sufganiyah — they're jelly doughnuts — and latkes.

  We are seeing a huge demand for all of our Hanukkah items as people are eager to celebrate this holiday, which has particular importance and particular meaning this year.

• Rabbi Marc Baker:

  We need to come together as a community and publicly to say we're proud of who we are and nothing is going to get in the way of us celebrating our tradition and our past and our stories.

• David Berenson:

  We have family coming in from out of town that we don't always have around Hanukkah. I don't know what to anticipate with our family discussions this year. I'm kind of looking forward to it, even though it may be challenging at a time, because you get 10 people together in a room, and you get 15 different perspectives.

• Rabbi Jill Perlman:

  We can hold multiple emotions and multiple reactions to what is happening at the same time.

  There is sadness and even some despair over the ongoing war in Israel and in Gaza. But we're also going to continue to hold onto hope and make sure that we are finding the joy of this holiday and the joy of just what it means to be alive each and every day.

Improved audio player available on our mobile page