Holding the Light

By Cari Uslan

This year, as Hanukkah approaches, I keep returning to the image of a small flame holding its ground in a very dark room. A single, determined light that doesn’t pretend the darkness isn’t real, but refuses to be swallowed by it.

The past year has left many in our community feeling unmoored. The continued rise in antisemitism, the ongoing grief and fear since October 7, and the sense of division rippling through our world have affected all of us and profoundly shaped the emotional world of our children. Jewish youth are navigating questions of identity and safety at an age when they should be free to simply grow.

Hanukkah reminds us that light doesn’t appear because the world is peaceful. It appears because someone chooses to kindle it.

The miracle wasn’t just that the oil lasted, but that it was lit at all. That act of courage, of insisting on hope even when the outcome is unclear, feels like the spiritual work of this moment.

In my role supporting youth at Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, I see versions of that courage every day. I see it when a “Big” decides to show up for a “Little” who is trying to make sense of a complicated world.

One mentor told me recently, “At a time like this, I needed to do something that brought light to someone else’s life.” The impulse to turn fear into connection, to counter isolation with presence, is profoundly Jewish and is how light endures.

Later, when I asked another volunteer how she finds the time to mentor a teen, she shrugged and said, “You find time for things that are important.” A simple sentiment, but one that captures the essence of Hanukkah: the commitment to sustaining something fragile yet essential.

The work of showing up for Jewish children, of offering them identity and belonging, has surpassed valuable, and is now vital. Mentorship doesn’t erase darkness or undo grief, but it creates pockets of warmth and safety where young people can breathe, question, connect, and imagine their future with confidence. And that is what Hanukkah calls us to do: to keep lighting the next candle. As we enter the holiday, I invite you to join us in carrying that light forward. Support the work that uplifts our youth. Become a Big.

Encourage someone else to get involved.

Help us ensure that every Jewish child has someone steady in their corner as they navigate the world as it is, and the world as we hope it will become.

Because every moment of Jewish connection is a small flame, and when we protect those flames, we continue the enduring resilience that has been our people’s miracle all along.

  Cari Uslan is Chief Executive Officer at Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles