Hanukkah: A Flame That Refuses to Be Extinguished

Yael Eckstein  |  December 31, 2024

Writing at CBN, Yael Eckstein shares how important the lessons of Hanukkah are today. And we must hear these lessons and let them inspire us to speak up for – and protect – the Jewish people:

Hanukkah is not just a celebration—it is a warning. The hatred that burned synagogues in medieval Europe, that filled train cars bound for concentration camps, that desecrates Jewish cemeteries today—it never stops with Jews. It spreads. Left unchecked, it consumes societies from within, poisoning everything it touches.

This fight cannot be left to the Jewish people alone. History has shown that when anti-Semitism is ignored, it metastasizes. It corrodes the very foundations of decency and justice. And it sends a message to every community, to every minority, that hatred can thrive unchallenged. Indeed, we see this in its modern mutation, where the rhetoric of hate is turned against both Jews and others. Those who target Jews speak of “first the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.” They brand Israel as the “little Satan” and America as the “big Satan.” The message is unmistakable: hatred never stops with the Jewish people—it spreads to all who uphold freedom, justice, and human dignity…

Because this is the truth of Hanukkah: the darkness is vast, but it is not invincible. The light will endure. But only if we protect it.