In Loving Memory of Malca Z”L
While celebrating Hanukkah we remember the heroes and heroines of the Jewish People who never put down their weapons, nor gave up their faith. Let us remember all our beloved sisters and brothers who were murdered at the hands of killers across Jewish history. The lights of Hanukkah will forever illuminate their memory for future generations.
We, the Jewish People, must never let history repeat itself. We must and we will go on, one generation after the other, until the end of days. Nothing is more miraculous than the survival, both physical and spiritual, of Am Israel, the Jewish People. The Jewish People live today and forever! Our life is a life lived by and for Jewish values, for our children and grandchildren and all generations to come, and for Judaism itself.
The waves of hatred we are currently witnessing against the State of Israel and the Jewish People are nothing new: they teach us what we must, and we will, remember: Never Again! Am Israel Chai! The Jewish People live, today and forever!
Let us never forget the innocent and beloved people who were murdered by Amalek, who our tradition teaches arises in every generation—today, by the hands of heartless Islamic terrorists. Let us remember our brave new Maccabees, our beloved Jewish heroes, the young Israeli soldiers who have given their lives in the ongoing struggle for freedom, independence and security of the Land of Israel, the pride and glory of the Jewish State, the miraculously restored State of Israel.
Ours is along and resilient history not only of surviving, but of flourishing, and as we defied the thugs, murderers and haters in the past, so shall we defy all our enemies today. We go on, one generation after the other, remembering our roots, and growing stronger today in and through our ancient Homeland.
Hazak, Hazak V’Nithazek! Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another!
Hag Hanukkah Sameach! Have a happy Hanukkah holiday!
(Baruch Cohen is CIJR’s Research Chairman and a member of the Holocaust Memorial Center)