The US Congress celebrates Hanukkah with a two-part menorah lighting

On By Littum

Leaders of the U.S. House and Senate gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon for a pre-Hanukkah menorah lighting, a symbolic show of unity amid disagreements among the upper echelons of both chambers over the stalled Antisemitism Awareness Act.

The menorah used in Tuesday’s ceremonial lighting belonged to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), a devout Christian, who said his first ever menorah was given to him by Washington, DC-based Chabad Rabbi Levi Shemtov and the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Johnson opened the event by saying that an Israeli craftsman made the menorah from shrapnel from rockets shot down by the IDF.

“I’m very grateful for the symbolic gift, not only because it’s my first menorah, but because when you look at it, you’re reminded of the true meaning of Hanukkah,” Johnson said. “That light breaks forth in the darkness, and in the presence of fear, miracles arise, and in moments of despair, hope springs eternal.”

Johnson said the more time he has spent with American rabbis and Jews, the more hopeful he has become for the future.

Battle between light and dark

“This year was a very difficult year for Jewish Americans and on college campuses and of course in the land of Israel itself,” he said. Yet, in the face of vitriol and war, the Jewish people have shown “unwavering strength and optimism and resilience.”

It has been very inspiring, he added, and it is because “we believe that the light of truth always overcomes the darkness of terror.”

Johnson then referred to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he held a joint press conference in July on Capitol Hill ahead of the prime minister’s speech before a joint session of Congress.

“As Prime Minister Netanyahu reminds us, the struggle for Israel’s existence is often really a struggle between light and darkness. It is a struggle between civilization versus barbarism, good versus evil,” Johnson said. “So as we ceremonially light the first of these eight candles, we remember the power of light in each of us, and we hold fast to the faith that God has not forgotten his people.”

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Johnson then gave the podium to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, whom he publicly criticized in recent weeks for not introducing the AAA as a stand-alone bill before the end of the year.

“I am proud to stand before you in this great temple of democracy to share in the light of Hanukkah,” Schumer said. “As we all know, the story of Hanukkah is, among many things, a story of endurance in the face of unspeakable hatred. It is a story of how, in another age, the Jewish people were forced from their land, forbidden to practice their religion, their temple destroyed and desecrated, assembled to pray in secret, banded together in the hills and fields, and fought their assailants.”

Having won, he continued, the Jews set about the hard, slow and painful work of consecrating the Temple and rekindling the eternal flame of hope.

Today, he said, 1000s of years later, “the responsibility to keep the flame of hope burning rests on each one of us.”

“The world is swirling with strong winds that threaten to extinguish this flame, the evil forces of anti-Semitism, hatred, bigotry, we cannot allow these forces of corruption to win to win today,” Schumer said. “We must work together across the aisle to prevent them from succeeding in America, in the darkness of our world, 436 days after the horrific attacks in Israel on October 7, where over 100 hostages are still being held by the evil and terrorist group Hamas .and amid an increase in anti-Semitic attacks at home and abroad, we need to keep the flame of hope burning stronger than ever before Hanukkah.”

Jeffries also spoke of the story of Hanukkah as one of resilience in the face of adversity and “hope in the face of oppression.”

“It tells the eternal story of the Jewish people, one of 1,000s of years of uncertainty, pain, persecution, but most importantly, and ultimately, of triumph,” Jeffries said. “Hanukkah teaches us that even a small amount of light can drown out a whole lot of darkness.”

Our Jewish brothers and sisters understandably feel a deep sense of anxiety about the future, he said, “but we are with you.”

“We will do everything we can to crush anti-Semitism and bury it in the ground, never to rise again,” he said. “We will continue to reiterate with moral clarity that anti-Semitism in any way, shape or form is unacceptable, unconscionable and un-American, and that our country must always be a safe place for the Jewish community.”

Rabbi Shemtov concluded the ceremony by highlighting the significance of the bipartisanship on display for the candle lighting.

The decision to hold the Hanukkah event “creates an island of unity in what can be a very divided space at times,” he said.

“Hundreds of millions of my fellow citizens across the country who see these two leaders of the House, even though they disagree, have a personal respect for each other,” Shemtov said, “which is enormous and which spreads a warmth over our country. there melts very cold.”