Hanukkah 2020

This year, as we celebrate The Festival of Hanukkah, we are blessed and reminded that with Hanukkah comes light and blessings from God. 

This has been a very difficult time for us all as we have sat in the darkness of Covid-19. The words recited every Saturday night after the Sabbath:

Layehudim hita ora v’simcha, gives us hope that from darkness comes light and with light, joy.

On Hanukkah, Jewish people celebrate the miracle of the Maccabees and how God helped keep the Jewish religion alive. 

The Maccabees and the Jewish people lived in a very difficult time. Just as the Maccabees fought to bring joy and happiness, we too need the same strength from God as we all are struggling during this pandemic, and as we prepare to enter into 2021, we must pray, now more than ever for light, a vaccine and the return to normalcy. 

This year let us take each night and each candle of light to represent hope for the new year. The acronym below can be used to share holiday joy through this difficult time:

Happiness

Anticipation

Nurture

Unafraid

Kinship

Kindness

Accepting

Honor

We at Congregation B’nai Israel of Freeport, extend a very Happy Holiday to the entire Freeport community. May this New Year be filled with happiness, joy and love.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Xmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year!