Hanukkah: A Season of Light and Miracles in Israel

Yael Eckstein  |  December 30, 2024

Writing at The Washington Times, our President and CEO Yael Eckstein shares stories from her experiences with The Fellowship that show the true meaning of Hanukkah and how we can always be a light in the darkness:

This season of light and miracles is also a poignant reminder that the people of Israel are now more than 400 days into a battle for our very survival. Like last year, we observe Hanukkah against a backdrop of war, suffering, and loss. And as we have for thousands of years, we continue to defend our land and our faith, and trust that God will bless us with victory. With survival…

Today, I would like to share four more miraculous stories that illustrate the very meaning of Hanukkah – stories about the miracles of hope, freedom, light, courage, redemption, faith, and faithfulness.

Refael Kruskal is CEO of Tikva Odesa Orphanage in Ukraine. For more than 20 years, Refael has worked with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to support the orphanage and the Jewish community in Odesa. When war broke out in Ukraine in 2020, The Fellowship was uniquely positioned to help thanks to our longstanding partnership.

Refael and his staff were able to evacuate 1,066 people, including 486 children, to Bucharest, Romania with help from The Fellowship and others. Miraculously, they were the only Jewish community to survive intact from Ukraine. As Refael told me, “I believe it’s no coincidence that, in the midst of the dark winter, light shines through. The support and the people thinking of us and sending help are the lights of Hanukkah for us.”