It may not be sundown yet in Los Angeles but on the morning of Dec. 10, L.A. Israeli emissaries (shlichim in Hebrew) from The Jewish Agency for Israel lit Hanukkah candles with the Hollywood sign in the background. This was part of a worldwide campaign, #LightingUpTheWorld to counter the darkness of the coronavirus pandemic by amplifying the lights of Hanukkah.
Approximately 2,000 Israeli emissaries are placed in 150 countries aiming to help different Jewish communities. Due to the pandemic, this Hanukkah, shlichim are holding a variety of virtual events for members of Jewish community such as online candle-lighting ceremonies and sufganiyot (jelly doughnut)-making workshops. Socially distant candle-lightings are the few outdoor in-person events to take place.
Approximately 2,000 Israeli emissaries are placed in 150 countries aiming to help different Jewish communities.
Rom Gvili and Lital Gehman represented Los Angeles and sang the Hanukkah classic “Ma’oz Tzur” (“Rock of Ages”) to celebrate. The Jewish Agency is inviting everyone around the world to share their Hanukkah candle-lighting photos with them with the hashtag #LightingUpTheWorld so they can be featured on their webpage.
“This Hanukkah we will light the darkness together — as a community, with our beloved families even from a distance, and our host families that light each of our days,” Gvili and Gehman said in a joint statement to the Journal. “We look forward to celebrating with our schools, synagogues, camps and more – and our amazing Federation and the outstanding Jewish Agency that brought us all together.”
Shlichim across the globe are lighting and posing with their Hanukkah menorahs at famous landmarks including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Times Square in New York, Red Square in Moscow, the Tower Bridge in London, the Nybroplan in Stockholm, the National Palace in Mexico City, the Colosseum in Rome and the Menorah center —the world’s largest Jewish center— in Ukraine.
“Happy Hanukkah to the Jewish people all around the globe,” said Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel. “May the beautiful candles on our menorahs light up our world and cast out darkness in favor of light.”
