By Rhoda Smolow
Of all the Jewish holidays, Hanukkah puts the spirit of Jewish resilience front and center, symbolically and historically. The candles that kept burning. The attacks that would not keep the Jewish people down. The spirit that could not be squelched. And so this year as we head into Hanukkah — with Israel at war and antisemitism rising sharply — we take strength knowing that we are rooted in resilience. With our menorahs in our windows, we let the world know we will persevere. This is the Jewish way. Hanukkah begins this year on the evening of December 7, two months since the horrifying terror attacks on Israel.
War Crimes Against Women
At Hadassah we will continue to speak out — right now, calling for a stronger global response to war crimes against women, including with the Hadassah Foundation, a supporting nonprofit of Hadassah whose efforts to help women and girls in the US and Israel are so important right now.
On Monday, December 4, Hadassah co-sponsored an emergency session to bear witness to testimonies of Hamas’ brutal acts of gender-based violence against Israeli women and girls on October 7 and to demand UN action. Fifteen key Hadassah leaders attended this event, hosted by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN and co-sponsored by Shazur\Interwoven, the World Zionist Organization, the National Council of Jewish Women and Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Israel’s envoy to the UN, Ambassador Gilad Erdan, and former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg both spoke, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed attendees via video.
Hadassah has been helping lead the US call for the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”) and UN Women to condemn Hamas for its brutal attacks on Israeli women and girls. Following our initial statement and letter, we gathered signatures from more than 80 organizations to demand further action from the UN and international women’s organizations.
And last Friday, UN Women broke its silence.
Our advocacy makes an impact. We will continue to advocate at the UN, in Congress and in our communities. Our voices are desperately needed.
The ADL reported a 388 percent increase in antisemitic incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault compared to the same period last year, when we were already ringing the alarm about a disturbing spike in antisemitism. And we are seeing rising anti-Zionist antisemitism, where criticism against Israel is used to express harmful antisemitic beliefs and tropes. I hope you will join with Hadassah advocates around the country to ask your elected officials to strengthen funding for programs that fight antisemitism and hatred.
At the same time, we know Jewish students on campus are being targeted with assaults and harassment. Over half report being scared in a recent survey, which found that more than a third felt they needed to hide their Jewish identity on campus. Too many leaders of academic institutions have failed to respond to this crisis. We must do what we can. And so here, too, I’m asking you to take action with Hadassah and write to the leaders of your alma mater to stand against antisemitism on campus and protect Jewish students. Ask your friends and the students in your life to write to theirs. For those who already have, I thank you.
Antisemitism: The Dangers on Inaction
Last week on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — with whom Hadassah has partnered time and again to fight antisemitism — spoke powerfully about the dangers of antisemitism and inaction.
“I come to the floor to speak on a subject of great importance: the rise of antisemitism in America. I feel compelled to speak because I am the … highest-ranking Jewish elected official ever in American history.” He outlined the history of antisemitism and many of the ugly ways it has cropped up since October 7.
“I implore every person and every community and every institution to stand with Jewish Americans and denounce antisemitism in all of its forms, especially the double standard that has been wielded against the Jewish people for generations to isolate us,” he said. “The time for solidarity must be now. Nothing less than the future of the American experiment hangs in the balance. Building a more perfect union, one that fulfills our founding ideals, is our longest and most solemn struggle as a country. And as Americans, we are called to do all we can to achieve that higher standard. We are stewards of the flames of liberty, tolerance and equality that warm our American melting pot and make it possible for Jewish Americans to prosper alongside Palestinian Americans and every other immigrant group from all over the world.”
This Hanukkah, Hope for the Generations Ahead
For four years, I have led Hadassah as we have found ways to make an impact in the face of immense crises and challenges: COVID-19, the war on Ukraine, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and this war on Israel. As many of you have heard me say, my presidency has been guided by a sense of pride, passion and purpose. While this is my last Hanukkah message to you as Hadassah’s national president, I know our light will continue to lead the way with Carol Ann Schwartz at the helm, starting on January 1.
This Hanukkah, I know we will do all we can to be stewards of the flames, as Senator Schumer so eloquently put it. We must take action, just as we trust in our Jewish faith that our Hanukkah candles will burn brightly for all the generations to come. Wishing you and yours a meaningful Hanukkah.