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Tag: Hanukkah
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In recorded message, Rob Reiner urged resiliency for Holocaust survivors at Hanukkah event
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JERUSALEM — In a video message recorded weeks before he was killed, Hollywood icon Rob Reiner urged Holocaust survivors participating in a Hanukkah ceremony on Thursday to “be resilient” during difficult times.
Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found stabbed to death Sunday at their home in Los Angeles, law enforcement officials said. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bail.
Reiner, who was Jewish, recorded the message for the Hanukkah event in the beginning of October. He noted that his wife’s extended family was killed at Auschwitz during the Holocaust, giving the ceremony special meaning for him.
SEE ALSO | Rob Reiner’s children speak out after Nick Reiner’s arrest on murder charges
“We’re living in a time where what’s happening in our country is scary and reminiscent of what we’ve seen happen in the past, and we just hope that we can all survive this and that we can hold on to our democracy,” Reiner, who was an outspoken advocate for liberal causes, said in his message.
The video was broadcast as part of a virtual candle lighting ceremony honoring Holocaust survivors internationally on the fifth night of Hanukkah. The event is an initiative of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, an organization that advocates for Holocaust survivors.
Around 100 Holocaust survivors gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday afternoon for a candle-lighting ceremony.
READ MORE | Timeline of famed director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer’s stabbing deaths, son’s arrest
In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C., after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.
Jews celebrate the eight-day holiday, which this year began on Sunday, by lighting a nightly candle in honor of the tiny supply of ritually pure oil that they found in the Temple that lasted for eight nights, instead of just one.
Many Jewish communities are reeling from the attack on a Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia, where 15 people were killed.
SEE ALSO | Video shows Nick Reiner in gas station store, LAPD arresting him for parents’ murders
“Even in these difficult days, when antisemitism is rising and Jewish communities around the world are under attack – this very week on the first night of Hanukkah in Sydney, Australia – we draw strength and inspiration from you, the survivors, from your personal and collective resilience,” Greg Schneider, the executive vice president of the Claims Conference, told the group of survivors in Jerusalem.
In addition to Reiner, Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Jason Alexander, Julianna Margulies, Debra Messing, Adam Arkin and Jamie Lee Curtis were among those who made prerecorded videos for the event. Journalists Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash also recorded messages.
“If ever we needed to be resilient, it’s now,” Reiner said in his message. “Let’s be resilient.”
Reiner was a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, calling him in a 2017 interview with Variety “mentally unfit” to be president and “the single-most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of the United States.” In a shocking post after Reiner’s death, Trump suggested that Rob Reiner’s outspoken opposition was partially responsible for his murder.
READ MORE | Trump’s harsh comments on Rob Reiner’s murder spark rare Republican pushback
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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AP
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As Jewish people mourn worldwide, Triangle community gathers in remembrance
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Zeevik Richie lights a menorah during an event hosted by Chabad of Durham-Chapel Hill at Skin Analytics at The Streets at Southpoint on Thursday in Durham.
The News & Observer
When news of the deadly attack on Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney arrived, it hit especially close to home for some Jewish residents of Chapel Hill and Durham.
Mushka Bluming, the program director for Chabad of Durham-Chapel Hill, spent this summer with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in Sunday’s attack, she told The News & Observer.
Schlanger, 41, served as assistant rabbi at Chabad-Lubavitch at Bondi, according to the organization’s website. He and 14 others were slain in an attack by two gunmen on a Chabad Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach.
Chabad is a movement of Judaism based in Crown Heights, New York, that sends missionaries, or “emissaries,” around the world to foster Jewish pride and community, according to its website. The Durham-Chapel Hill chapter began in 2002 “with the goal to create a place where all Jews can feel at home,” including students and faculty at UNC and Duke, its webpage states.
Bluming counseled Schlanger’s children over the summer, she said.
“I spent Shabbat in their house,” she said.
Hatomim Sholom Bluming lights a menorah during an event hosted by Chabad of Durham-Chapel Hill Thursday. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer Bluming and about 30 others gathered at The Streets at Southpoint on Thursday evening with two goals in mind: celebrating Hanukkah, which began Sunday, and recognizing the impact of the Sydney attack.
“In addition to celebrating the holiday, the community will be standing together with Jewish communities abroad, particularly in Sydney, Australia, emphasizing the enduring Chanukah message of spreading light, strength, and hope even across great distances,” Chabad of Durham-Chapel Hill wrote in a news release.
The event featured a menorah lighting, latkes, donuts, music, prizes and raffles, according to the release, though families with children were especially encouraged to attend. At least 30 people came to the gathering inside Skin Analytics, a facial spa at Southpoint.
“Now is the moment, more than ever, to instill in ourselves and in our children … to bring the pride that they have for their identity with them wherever they go,” Bluming said.
Rabbi Zalman Bluming of Chabad of Durham-Chapel Hill leads a group in song during a gathering at Skin Analytics at The Streets at Southpoint on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer The local Chabad chapter “immediately” began planning Thursday’s event after learning of the Sydney attack, Bluming said.
“We felt an absolute resolve to take action,” she said.
That’s been a common theme for the Jewish community throughout years of persecution, according to Bluming.
“It’s at moments like these that we show up more proud [and] appear more Jewish,” she said. “There’s never been a better time to show our strength and our pride for who we are.”
It’s a mentality that Schlanger, the slain rabbi, also instilled in his community, Bluming recalled.
“He shared with me, as he shared with so many others … his quote that we should ‘be more Jewish, act more Jewish and appear more Jewish,’” she said. “I think that message that he left us with is a message that is so true today, more than ever before.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 7:45 PM.
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Lexi Solomon
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Their templed destroyed in Eaton fire, a Pasadena Jewish community holds vigil after Australia’s anti-Semitic attack
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Cantor Ruth Berman Harris, Rabbi Jill Gold Wright, Melissa Levy and Rabbi Josh Ratnerwill (l-r) of the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center gather to light the third Hanukkah candle during a ceremony and vigil as they stand in solidarity with the victims of the antisemitic mass shooting in Australia in Pasadena, CA Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
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Cantor Ruth Berman Harris, Rabbi Jill Gold Wright, Melissa Levy and Rabbi Josh Ratnerwill (l-r) of the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center gather to light the third Hanukkah candle during a ceremony and vigil as they stand in solidarity with the victims of the antisemitic mass shooting in Australia in Pasadena, CA Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Members of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center gathered at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena on Tuesday, Dec. 16, to light the third Hanukkah candle and stand in solidarity with the victims of the anti-Semitic attack at Bondi Beach in Australia.
The shooting at the Hanukkah celebration on Dec. 14 left 15 people dead, the youngest of whom was 10 years old, and another, a grandfather of 11 who survived the Holocaust.
Rabbi Joshua Ratner led the gathering, held where the congregation meets after the January’s Eaton fire destroyed their synagogue and school.
Temple families, their allies and partners held the first community Hanukkah candle lighting on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Sierra Madre, since losing their campus.
Temple leaders said they will hold other Hanukkah gatherings for different age groups throughout the eight days of the Festival of Lights.
Reflecting on Hanukkah, Ratner said the essence of the holiday is to remind people of their capacity to lights in the world. “It’s precisely at this time that Hanukkah calls on us to assert our capacity to light up the night.”
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Anissa Rivera
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At Plainview menorah lighting, leaders unite against antisemitism | Long Island Business News
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THE BLUEPRINT
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Leaders and community members united at a Plainview menorah lighting, standing against antisemitism.
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The event moved indoors due to winter weather, not security concerns, organizers emphasized.
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JCC leadership highlighted increased security efforts and community resilience since Oct. 7.
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Speakers stressed unity, strength, and standing against hate across all backgrounds.
Leaders in Nassau County united to confront antisemitism at a public menorah lighting at the Mid Island Y JCC in Plainview on Monday.
What had been planned as an outdoor ceremony was moved indoors because of a weekend winter storm that brought bitter cold temperatures and snow to the region.
The move indoors was not, said Mid Island Y JCC and Suffolk Y JCC CEO Rick Lewis, “because of the events in Australia,” referring to a mass shooting in Sydney in which 15 people were murdered while celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach.
Lewis made a point about standing up to antisemitism.
“If it were 10 degrees warmer, we would be outside because this community will not hide from this fight,” Lewis said, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Still, he said, security was a major priority at the JCC.
“This building is a safe place on any given day, with a security budget that has doubled since Oct. 7,” he said, referring to the Hamas attack in Israel in 2023. “Sixty thousand people a year walk through our doors, and I along with the [JCC’s] incredible board of directors don’t take their responsibility lightly.”
The Plainview menorah-lighting featured community members, elected officials at the local and state level, and business and community leaders, including from the Plainview-Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce. Over the last two years, community members had come together weekly to rally for the return of Omer Neutra, the Plainview native who was killed in the 2023 Hamas attacks and buried in Israel last month after his body was returned to his family.
Monday’s event was designed to shine a light against public hate and celebrate strength and hope. Lewis expressed gratitude for Ahmed al Ahmed, the Syrian-Australian Muslim shop owner who tackled one of the gunmen during the Bondi attack, wrestling the man’s shotgun from his grip and turning it on the attacker.
Monday’s event also highlighted that the Jewish community‘s. Lewis said that people of all backgrounds were welcome at the JCC, though its focus is on Jewish culture and knowledge.
“We are one family in this town,” Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino said at the menorah lighting. “We’re going to let the world know that we’re not afraid of anyone who tries to strike out against the Jewish people.”
“I think it is very, very important that people in leadership positions stand up and remind the world how important it is to address antisemitism and not hide behind misinformation that you get off the internet,” Lewis told LIBN. “It is important that we stand proud and support the cause.”
He added that “if our community doesn’t stand up and remind everyone of the problem at hand, the situation will only continue to get worse.”
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Adina Genn
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Donald Trump’s Remarks on the Death of Rob Reiner Are Next-Level Degradation
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Have you ever in your life encountered a character as wretched as Donald Trump? For many people, this was a question asked and definitively answered twenty years ago, when Trump was still a real-estate vulgarian shilling his brand on Howard Stern’s radio show and agreeing with the host’s assessment that his daughter Ivanka was “a piece of ass” and describing how he could “get away with” going backstage at the Miss Universe pageant to see the contestants naked.
Or, perhaps, his character came clear a decade later, during his first run for the Presidency, when he said of John McCain, who spent more than five years being tortured in a North Vietnamese prison, “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.” This was from a man who avoided the war with four student deferments and a medical deferment for bone spurs in his heel. Larry Braunstein, a podiatrist in Jamaica, Queens, who provided Trump with this timely diagnosis, in the fall of 1968, rented his office from Fred Trump, Donald’s father. One of the late doctor’s daughters told the Times, “I know it was a favor.”
One day, a historian will win a contract to assemble the collected quotations of the forty-fifth and forty-seventh President—all the press-room rants, the Oval Office put-downs, the 3 A.M. Truth Social fever dreams. The early chapters will include: “Blood coming out of her—wherever.” “Horseface.” “Fat pig.” “Suckers.” “Losers.” “Enemies of the people.” “Pocahontas.” And then the volume will move on to “Piggy.” “Things happen.” And so on.
After a decade of constant presence on the political stage, Trump no longer seems capable of shocking anyone with the brutality of his language or the heedlessness of his behavior. His supporters continue to excuse his insouciant cruelty as “Trump being Trump,” proof of his authenticity. (The antisemitism of Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and a gaggle of group-chatting young Republican leaders is, similarly, included in the “big tent” of MAGA rhetoric.) Now, when a friend begins a conversation with “Did you hear what Trump said today?,” you do your best to dodge the subject. What’s the point? And yet the President really did seem to break through to a new level of degradation this week.
This past weekend brought a terrible and rapid succession of violent events. On Saturday afternoon, in Providence, an unidentified gunman on the Brown University campus shot and killed two students and wounded nine others in the midst of exam period. The killer has yet to be found. On Sunday, in Archer Park, near Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, a father-and-son team, both dressed in black and heavily armed, reportedly took aim at a crowd of Jewish men, women, and children who were celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. At least fifteen people were killed, including an eighty-seven-year-old Holocaust survivor and a ten-year-old girl. The massacre was the latest in a long series of antisemitic incidents in Australia—and beyond.
Finally, on Sunday night, came the news that the actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, had been found dead in their home. Their bodies were discovered by their daughter Romy. Los Angeles police arrested their son, the thirty-two-year-old Nick Reiner. According to press reports, the investigation had focussed on him immediately not only because of his history of drug abuse but also because he had been behaving erratically the night before, in his parents’ presence, at a holiday party at the home of Conan O’Brien. Nick Reiner is being held, without bail, in Los Angeles County jail.
There was something about these three events that came in such rapid succession that it savaged the spirit—the yet-again regularity of American mass shootings, this time in Providence; the stark Jew hatred behind the slaughter in Australia; the sheer sadness of losing such a beloved and decent figure in the popular culture, and his wife, purportedly at the hands of their troubled son. It would be naïve to think that any leader, any clergy, could ease all that pain with a gesture or a speech. Barack Obama speaking and singing “Amazing Grace” from the pulpit in Charleston, South Carolina, or Robert F. Kennedy speaking in Indianapolis on the night of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.—that kind of moral eloquence is somehow beyond our contemporary imaginations and expectations. What you would not expect is for a President of the United States to make matters even worse than they were. But, of course, he did. A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood,” Trump wrote, on Truth Social, on Monday. He went on:
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David Remnick
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Increased Security at LA Hanukkah Events After Australia Shooting
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The holiday runs through Dec. 22
The mass shooting in Australia on Sunday has prompted Los Angeles law enforcement to intensify protection of local Hanukkah celebrations.
“The Los Angeles Police Department is deeply saddened by the tragic mass shooting attack that occurred during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia,” it shared in a statement on Sunday. “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Australia and here in Los Angeles, and our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those impacted by this senseless act of violence.”
The Dec. 14 massacre left 15 people dead and dozens injured. People had gathered that afternoon for a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach when suspected father and son gunmen, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, who is in custody, and 50-year-old Sajib Akram, who was shot and killed by officers, attacked.
At the time of posting, the LAPD noted there was no known threat to Los Angeles but assured its commitment to “protecting our diverse communities. As part of this commitment, the LAPD will provide extra patrols at Jewish facilities, schools, synagogues and at Hanukkah events throughout the city” and that it “will continue to work closely with our local, national and international partners” to monitor developments and ensure the safety of our city. Together, we can honor the spirit of Hanukkah by standing united against hate and violence.”
Hanukkah runs from Dec. 14 to 22.
Similarly, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department shared its plans to closely monitor and increase patrols of Jewish community spaces and Hanukkah gatherings. “If you see something, say something,” the LASD said in a statement.
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Haley Bosselman
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Attack at Australian Hanukkah celebration underscores rise in antisemitism
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Gunmen killed at least 15 people Sunday during Australia’s Bondi Beach Jewish community Hanukkah celebration. Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, joins CBS News with his reaction to the shooting.
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Sunday’s deadly Hanukkah mass shooting came amid a spike in antisemitic incidents in Australia. Were police prepared?
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More than 1,000 people had gathered on Bondi Beach on a warm day to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah in Australia. In stark contrast to the joyful energy on the beach, a terror plot was underway, allegedly planned in advance by a father and son who opened fire with rifles into the crowd, with an improvised explosive device at the ready in their car.
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Sunday’s mass shooting “a targeted attack on Jewish Australians.” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said it was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community.”
Police should have been on high alert, given that it was a Hanukkah celebration and antisemitic threats and attacks have skyrocketed in Australia in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, according to data from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
Yet the two assailants were allegedly able to fire shots toward the beach for more than five minutes, according to eyewitness accounts. Videos show the gunmen taking their time to aim, shoot and then duck from a bridge near the beach. One video shows a good Samaritan jumping on the back of one of the shooters and wrestling his gun away. Local media reported that the man who intervened, identified as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, suffered two gunshot wounds.
“The first initial reaction wasn’t even by police, it was by civilians, which raised a lot of questions about the role of police,” said Oded Ailam, who worked in Israeli intelligence for two decades and reviewed videos of the attack for CBS News.
Asked about police response time at a news conference Monday local time, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said, “I respect a person having an opinion, but I’ve been really clear: Our police responded promptly. Our police respond very promptly. We work closely with the Jewish community. We are very attuned with providing support to the Jewish community.”
Ailam told CBS News, “Everything points to this being a preplanned attack that was planned for a significant amount of time. The big question now is if Iran and Hezbollah will be implicated.”
Australia earlier this year determined a series of previous arson attacks targeting a synagogue and a Kosher food provider had been directed by Iran, and moved to cut diplomatic ties over the incidents.
“As a matter of principle, Iran condemns the violent attack against civilians in Sydney, Australia,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Sunday on social media. “Terror violence and mass killing shall be condemned, wherever they’re committed, as unlawful and criminal.”
When asked by reporters about whether Sunday’s shooting was an intelligence failure, New South Wales officials waved off the questions and said their priority is keeping the community safe.
The alleged assailants were a father and son duo originally from Pakistan, CBS News has learned. They had six firearms — purchased legally — and had assembled an improvised explosive device to target the Jewish gathering, according to authorities.
While shocking, the attack is not entirely surprising to people who track antisemitic attacks.
Rising antisemitism in Australia
Australia has been plagued by reports of antisemitic attacks and incidents in the two years following Oct. 7, 2023, according to new figures from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
In one particularly notable incident last year, masked assailants conducted an arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne. Another arson attack was carried out at the kosher food provider Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney, also last year.
Both attacks were determined by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to be tied to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. In August, Prime Minister Albanese expelled Iran’s ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, and three other Iranian diplomats, citing the intelligence assessment concluding that Iran directed antisemitic arson attacks on Australian soil.
The ECAJ found antisemitic incidents in Australia remain at historically high levels — almost five times the average annual number before Oct. 7, 2023, which is the largest spike of any J7 country between 2021 and 2024. J7 refers to the seven countries with the largest Jewish communities outside Israel that form the J7 Task Force Against Antisemitism: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Argentina and Australia.
The J7 Task Force met in Sydney less than one week before Sunday’s attack to discuss the growing security threat to the Jewish community in Australia.
“This attack is not only the latest in a disturbing series of antisemitic incidents in Australia but also around the globe, including in the United States,” said Oren Segal, senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence at the Anti-Defamation League. “And these incidents are becoming increasingly violent.”
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Hanukkah celebration in Australia targeted in antisemitic terrorist attack. Here’s what to know.
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Officials said 16 people are dead after gunmen targeted the attendees of a Jewish community event on Sunday in Australia’s Bondi Beach. Another 40 people were hospitalized with injuries, including a child and two officers, according to police. Two of the suspects were identified as a father and a son, according to Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner of New South Wales.
The 50-year-old father was killed, and the son — identified as 24-year-old Naveed Akram, a Pakistani national based in Sydney, according to a U.S. intelligence briefing and a driver’s license provided by Australian police — was in custody in critical but stable condition, Lanyon said.
Australian officials and international leaders have condemned it as an antisemitic terrorist attack.
Police said they expect the death toll to climb. Here is what we know so far.
Gunfire broke out at a Hanukkah celebration
The attack took place during a Jewish holiday celebration held to mark the first day of Hanukkah. More than 1,000 people were on the beach, in a suburb of Sydney, when shots rang out, said New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, who officially declared the shooting a “terrorist incident.”
Numerous Australian officials have characterized the shooting as targeted. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said it “was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community.”
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah — which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith — an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference.
Video footage recorded by civilians showed frightened crowds of beachgoers fleeing the area as gunshots went off in the background.
Neither officials nor police have identified the victims of the attack. Chabad, a global organization representing a branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, said Rabbi Eli Schlanger, with Chabad of Bondi, was among the dead, the Associated Press reported. Schlanger had been a key organizer of the Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, according to the organization.
2 suspects identified as father and son
Australian authorities said two gunmen were suspected of carrying out the deadly mass shooting, a rare occurrence in a country where gun violence is uncommon.
Lanyon said the deceased suspect was previously known to the New South Wales police force. In addition to the 50-year-old gunman killed at the scene of the attack, another was hospitalized with serious injuries, he said. The surviving gunman, the 24-year-old son, has been taken into custody. The commissioner later said officers were not looking for an additional suspect.
Six licensed firearms were found at the scene, Lanyon said, adding that they all belong to the father. The police commissioner added that the older suspect had a gun licence for about ten years.
“We will look at the motives behind this attack and I think it is important as part of the investigation,” he said.
A man has been lauded as a hero and praised by the police commissioner for tackling one suspect and disarming him in dramatic video footage recorded by a bystander along Campbell Parade, a main street that wraps around Bondi Beach. In the footage, the man could be seen crouched in hiding behind a parked car before wrestling the suspect and taking his weapon.
Australian news outlets have identified the man seen disarming the suspect as fruit shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed, citing his relatives.
Officers found explosive devices
Shortly after the shooting took place, officers who responded to the scene discovered a vehicle along Campbell Parade and believed there were several improvised explosive devices inside of it, Lanyon said. The vehicle was linked to the deceased gunman, according to the police commissioner. A rescue bomb disposal crew was at the scene.
Rising antisemitism in Australia
Although Australia rarely experiences mass shootings, after implementing stringent gun reform laws in the wake of a deadly 1996 massacre in Tasmania’s Port Arthur, antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in the country since the war in Gaza began in 2023.
The Australian government appointed special envoys in 2024 to address spiking antisemitism, as well as Islamophobia, in its communities. But attacks still happened this year. One, in July, involved an arsonist who set fire to the door of a synagogue in Melbourne, while worshippers were inside.
World leaders react
The attack on Bondi Beach drew widespread condemnation from leaders across the globe.
In the U.S., Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke out against antisemitism in a social media post, which said: “Antisemitism has no place in this world. Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia.”
Rubio joined officials from numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Finland, New Zealand, India, Qatar and Pakistan, who similarly shared remarks expressing sympathy for the victims and solidarity with Jewish communities, as well as denouncing antisemitism.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the officials in his country who responded publicly to the attack in Australia. In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu criticized Albanese for supporting a Palestinian state and said such support fuels antisemitism.
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on the antisemitic fire,” Netanyahu’s statement read, quoting a letter that the Israeli prime minister said he wrote to Albanese in August. “It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets.”
The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group and charity organization, said the attack “comes after repeated warnings, including from the Australian Jewish community itself,” adding that “allowing antisemitic rhetoric and demonstrations to go unchecked can—and does—lead to violence and death.”
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Menorah Lighting In Portland This Sunday – KXL
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Hanukkah is a redemption holiday for the Jewish people.
The lighting of the menorah to start the holiday will commence this weekend in Pioneer Square, led by Chabad of Oregon. This free events invites all walks of life to enjoy food and lights.
Rabbi Motti Wilhelm says the power of religion will be on display.
“This year, we’re having more elected representatives (Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Secretary of State Tobias Read, among others) than in the past,” Wilhelm said.
“Many of our elected (leaders) want to show that the freedom of religion, the freedom of worship, (and) the freedom of assembly is strong and is vibrant in this country as ever,” Wilhelm continued.
Rabbi Wilhelm has the message he wants all faiths to hear as the holiday approaches.
“Hope with faith and with light, we can tell even the greatest forces of darkness to light a candle,” Wilhelm said. “Everybody is able to light a candle by hope and faith.”
The Menorah will be lit at 5:30pm on Sunday with festivities starting at 4pm.
Lighting Schedule:
- Sunday, December 14 — Festivities begin at 4:00 p.m.
- Monday, December 15 — Thursday, December 18 – 5:30 p.m.
- Friday, December 19 — 3:00 p.m.
- Saturday, December 20 — 6:30 p.m.
- Sunday, December 21 — 5:30 p.m.
More about:
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Noah Friedman
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Detroit’s Menorah in the D to feature released Israeli hostages – Detroit Metro Times
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One of Michigan’s largest Hanukkah celebrations will feature an Israeli family reunited after two of its members were kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas.
Ella Ben Ami traveled from Be’eri, Israel to Detroit’s Menorah in the D event in 2023 after her parents were taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack of that year, in which 251 people were kidnapped by Hamas militants in Gaza. Her mother Raz Ben Ami was freed after 54 days in captivity, but her father Ohad Ben Ami was not released until Feb. 8, 2025 after 491 days in captivity.
The last remaining Israeli hostages were freed last month after months of combat, resulting in more than 69,000 killed in Gaza.
Menorah in the D was founded in 2011 and draws thousands to downtown Detroit to celebrate Jewish religious freedom, featuring the lighting of a 26-foot-tall menorah in addition to live music and other cultural activities.
“Each year, Menorah in the D reminds us that even a small light can dispel great darkness,” Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, executive director of Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan, said in a statement. “This celebration embodies the strength and unity of Detroit’s diverse community.”
Menorah in the D begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14 in Cadillac Square, with the menorah lighting beginning at sundown. The event is free and open to the public.
More information is available at menorahinthed.com.
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Lee DeVito
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Far-right Polish lawmaker Grzegorz Braun douses menorah in parliament
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A far-right Polish lawmaker on Tuesday used a fire extinguisher to put out the candles in a Hanukkah menorah placed in the parliament lobby, a stunt that saw him ordered out of the assembly by the speaker of the lower chamber.
“This should have never happened,” Szymon Holownia told reporters after expelling the lawmaker, Grzegorz Braun, to leave the plenary, adding that he would call for an investigation into the incident.
The ceremony for lighting the nine-branched candelabrum was held in the Polish parliament to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights, and was attended by rabbis and a Jewish music band.
Slawomir Kaminski/Agencja Wyborcza.pl/REUTERS
Poland’s TVN24 showed video of Braun using a red fire extinguisher to douse the candles, filling the area with smoke and fog from the device. The parliamentary proceedings were suspended.
“This should have never happened,” Holownia told reporters after he ordered Braun to leave the session, adding that he would call for an investigation into the lawmaker’s actions.
Poland’s newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a disgrace and said such a thing should never be repeated. Tusk, a pro-European Union centrist, was elected on Monday, marking a reversal for Poland after years of conservative leadership. Tusk gave his inaugural speech to parliament Tuesday before Braun acted out.
Braun, a pro-Russian member of the Confederation party, has previously claimed that there’s a plot to turn Poland into a “Jewish state.”
Antisemitism has been on the rise in Europe and the U.S. amid the war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented terror attack on Oct. 7.
“It can’t happen again, it’s a disgrace,” Tusk said as he waited for the parliament to approve his new pro-EU government, a vote that was delayed amid the chaos triggered by the incident, which was condemned by all parties except for Braun’s Confederation.
“SHAME. A Polish Parliament member just did this. Few minutes after we celebrated Hanukkah there,” Israel’s ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne said on social media, posting a video of the stunt.
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Popdust's 2023 Ultimate Gift Guide
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There are officially two weeks left until Christmas Day…and with Hanukkah underway already, you may be scrambling for that last-minute perfect gift. It’s not always easy, especially when you’re shopping for the chronically online person whose always buying themselves a “little treat”, you often wonder: “What do I get the person who has it all?”
I know my friends have this issue when shopping for me because I am not shy about treating myself. Being a material girl in a material world also means that I know the perfect gift for everyone in your life. If you’re waiting for your next paycheck to do some final holiday shopping this year, and are in need of some brilliant inspo- you’ve come to the right place.
Here are our picks for our 2023 holiday gift guide!
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Jai Phillips
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Donald Trump’s Hanukkah message was very different to Joe Biden’s
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President Joe Biden and Donald Trump both issued statements commemorating the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, with the Republican focusing his message around the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Both the current and former president sent messages to mark the first night of Hanukkah on Thursday, December 7. It is observed over the eight nights in the Jewish community by the lighting of a menorah.
The lighting of the candles signifies when the Maccabees lit a menorah in the Temple of Jerusalem. It followed a successful revolt in which the holy city was recaptured from the Syrian-Greek King Antiochus IV, who had banned Jewish practices during his reign. The flames burnt for eight days and nights in the temple, despite there being only enough oil for one.
Biden marked the start of Hanukkah with a post on X, formerly Twitter, showing a photo of a menorah at the White House with its first candle lit.
“The story of Hanukkah teaches us that even a little bit of light, wherever it is found, can dispel the darkness and illuminate a path forward,” Biden said. “From our family to yours, Jill and I wish you and your loved ones a Chanukah Sameach, a Happy Hanukkah!”
From left: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden gestures after speaking during election night at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware; and Donald Trump speaks during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, early on November 4, 2020. Both politicians delivered messages to mark the start of Hanukkah on Thursday.
ANGELA WEISS,MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
In comparison, Trump posted a video message online to celebrate the start of Hanukkah while referencing the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“I want to wish everyone a very happy Hanukkah. The miracle of Hanukkah began more than 2,000 years ago when a proud band of Jewish patriots courageously stood up and reclaim their freedom, their faith and their traditions from an oppressive tyrant,” Trump said.
“After that great victory, the Jewish heroes prepared to rededicate the Holy Temple, but found only enough oil to light the lamp for one night. Yet by the grace of the Almighty. The flames radiated for eight days and eight nights. Ever since, the Menorah has been a symbol of Jewish perseverance in the face of oppression, and of God’s hope, mercy and love in times of hardship.”
Trump added that this Hanukkah season, Jewish Americans and people all over the world are “still reeling from the monstrous Hamas terror attacks on innocent men, women and children,” on October 7.
“To everyone touched by these barbaric atrocities we pray that God will bring you healing comfort and peace. We recommit ourselves to extinguishing the evil of antisemitism from the Earth,” Trump said.
“We reaffirm the everlasting solidarity with the Jewish people, and we go forward confident with God’s help. In the end, light will overcome this horrible darkness,” Trump added.
Elsewhere, Doug Emhoff, the husband of vice president Kamala Harris and the first Jewish spouse of a nationally elected leader in the U.S., told the Jewish community that the entire Biden administration “have your back.” Emhoff’s words came in the wake of the October 7 attacks in Israel during a lighting ceremony of a menorah in front of the White House on Thursday.
Biden has expressed strong support for Israel amid the war against Hamas, and had resisted demands to call for a permanent ceasefire.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Shots fired outside Temple Israel in Albany, N.Y. governor says
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Shots were fired on the premises of Temple Israel in Albany, New York, on Thursday, the first day of Hanukkah, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
No injuries were reported, and an investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement is ongoing. A 28-year-old male suspect is now in custody, the governor announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I am immediately directing the New York State Police and New York National Guard to be on high alert and increase the existing patrols of at-risk sites we had planned for the Hanukkah holiday, including at synagogues, yeshivas and community centers,” Hochul said in a statement, adding that she has spoken directly with the Temple’s rabbi.
“This builds on the significant efforts we have taken to protect religious communities in the wake of the October 7 attacks. Make no mistake: the safety of Jewish New Yorkers is non-negotiable,” the governor said.
A motive behind the shooting has not yet been made clear.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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List of Hanukkah celebrations canceled and toned down across US this year
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With reported instances of antisemitism on the rise in the U.S. in the wake of renewed violence in the Middle East, several Hannukah celebrations have either been canceled or tempered.
According to watchdog StopAntisemitism, since Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants staged a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, it has experienced a 1,500 percent increase in reported incidents. In the first month following the attack, another organization, the Anti-Defamation League, said reports of antisemitism had risen 316 percent year-on-year.
When questioned about its response to these cancelations, the White House faced a backlash for also noting a rise in Islamophobia that has occurred at the same time. Its own Hannukah party is set to take place on Monday, The Washington Post reported.
Disney World, in Florida, and Disneyland, in California, meanwhile have maintained their plans to commemorate the festival—which begins on Thursday night.
People ride an escalator past a hanukkiah installation at the World Trade Center Oculus on December 6, 2023, in New York City. Several public Hanukkah celebrations have been canceled this year.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Hannukah is not a strictly religious festival, but has become a major part of Jewish culture. It is the only Jewish festival that marks a military victory: when the Maccabees successfully recovered Jerusalem from the then Seleucid emperor Antiochus in the second century BC.
After the Second Temple was sacked by the Seleucids, the story goes, the Maccabees only had enough lamp oil for one night, but it lasted for eight days—which are represented by the eight candles on a hanukkiah lit over the course of eight days.
But while many Jews see Hanukkah as representing light and hope, some have viewed its usual mirth as inappropriate in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas.
The 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival, Virginia
A hanukkiah lighting had been scheduled to take place at the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival in Williamsburg, Virginia, on December 10, but it has since been canceled. Shirley Vermillion, the festival’s founder, told the Daily Press that the event “seemed very inappropriate” given the conflict.
“The concern is of folks feeling like we are siding with a group over the other[…]not a direction we ever decide to head,” she said.
The United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula issued a statement criticizing the decision, and claimed festival organizers had offered to reinstate the event if it were held under a banner calling for a ceasefire.
Virginia’s Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged the organizers to reconsider the decision, writing on Monday: “Singling out the Jewish community by canceling this Hanukkah celebration is absurd.”
Latkes and Vodka, Washington D.C.
According to the Religious News Service, an annual bash in Washington D.C. called Latkes and Vodka was also canceled this year by its host, Steve Rabinowitz, a media consultant and former press aide in the Bill Clinton White House.
In an email on Tuesday, he reportedly said: “I just don’t feel right hosting a party this year, given October 7 and in the middle of an actual war.”
Zony Mash Beer Project, Louisiana
The Zony Mash Beer Project, a brewery and events space in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was due to hold a Hanukkah celebration on the first night of the festival, abruptly announced it was canceling the event on Wednesday.
In a statement, it attributed the decision to “external tensions,l” without specifying what those were.
“Our intent has always been to host a lighthearted and conflict-free celebration, providing a space for diverse communities to come together and enjoy the spirit of Hanukkah,” the beer project wrote. “Unfortunately, challenges beyond our control have compromised our ability to ensure a joyful and safe environment.”
Adam Mayer, a Jewish activist who runs a pop-up called Latke Daddy, who has publicly criticized Israel’s intervention in Gaza, said in his own statement that he had been disinvited “respectfully” after other members of the Jewish community expressed unhappiness with his position.
Hannukah House, Texas
A Jewish-owned house in Houston, Texas which has for the past few years with a blue and white light display, encouraging others to visit it, said it would be toning down the display this year over the war between Israel and Hamas.
In a statement on November 26, the owners said: “In light of current events, the Hannukah House is still aglow, with only white lights in the hope of peace.”
Brad Hirschfield
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, an author and president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, will still be celebrating Hanukkah at home, but will not be hosting an open house this year as he traditionally does.
“I don’t entirely know how you can celebrate a festival of victory fully and completely when we are a people at war,” he told the Religious News Service. “That’s a challenge.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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15 Holiday Pieces From Old Navy That’ll Have You Feeling Festive
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As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
Contrary to some opinions, it’s never too early to enhance your holiday wardrobe. Whether you need a shimmery new dress to complement your favorite stilettos or a cozy yet stylish sweater dress, few retailers rival Old Navy in providing a wide range of versatile holiday clothing. And there’s no better time to start scooping up styles that catch your eye. The brand’s new arrivals section is freshly stocked with options you’ll be relieved you scooped up before they sold out, including sequined and velvet styles for those who love some tangible texture, sophisticated coats worth wearing to every holiday event, chic trousers suitable for both work and play — and so much more.
We’d be lying if we said we didn’t have any standout favorites from Old Navy’s holiday inventory. Among them is a burgundy-colored velvet jumpsuit with a flattering silhouette comprising a fitted bodice and a wide leg, a two-piece set with metallic threads perfect for New Year’s Eve, and a chic cardigan coat that adds a hearty dose of sophistication to any outfit (while keeping you warm, of course). Keep scrolling to shop these styles and more of our favorite holiday picks from Old Navy for 2023.
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Marisa Petrarca
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