Reflections on Hanukkah After Australia

Helena Community members light one of many menorahs at Temple Emanu-El.

This week, Jewish families and communities across Montana are lighting Hanukkah candles together. Here in Helena, we gathered at Temple Emanu-El to begin the holiday. With MAOR, we also helped organize a statewide online Hanukkah Across Montana, and joined with MAJCO for the annual Menorah Lighting at the State Capitol.

Tragically, though, Hanukkah began this year with the horrific attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, Australia.  Because of these events, at MJP this year, we decided to light all eight candles on the first night, instead of just one.

Judaism is a polyphonic tradition. Like an orchestra, it is made up of many voices, in conversation across centuries. We preserve disagreement alongside consensus; even when arguments don’t “win,” they are still remembered and taught.

One enduring conversation is about how to kindle the Hanukkah lights. Beit Hillel, the school associated with Rabbi Hillel, taught that we begin with one candle and add another each night. Most Jews follow this practice, increasing the light and joy as the holiday unfolds.

Beit Shammai, the school associated with Rabbi Shammai, offered a different approach: lighting all eight candles on the first night and decreasing each night thereafter. One explanation is that we light for the days still to come, making the full potential of the festival visible all at once. Another links the lights to the sacrifices of Sukkot, which begin in abundance and diminish each day.

Capitol Menorah Lighting with Jewish community from around Montana.

As we gathered for our Hanukkah party at Temple Emanu-El, our hearts were with those whose celebration was shattered by violence. In moments like this it felt more important than ever to gather in Jewish community and to kindle light together.

It feels essential not only to gather in Jewish community, but also to keep reaching outward–to teach, to show up publicly, and to stay connected to the broader Montana community. We are proud of our Hanukkah curriculum boxes for public school classrooms for doing just that, and were pleased with the recent Forward article that highlighted this work. We were also heartened to gather online with Jewish community members from around the state, and to stand together in the public square at the State Capitol alongside rabbis from multiple Montana communities, elected officials, and leaders from other faith traditions.

Still, grief, anger, and fear don’t simply disappear. After the attack in Sydney, we are left knowing that lives were lost, others forever altered, and that such violence can happen anywhere. But Judaism asks us a different question: not whether the world is broken, but what we will do in response.

In the days following the attack, we were also moved by the number of non-Jewish Montanans who reached out to check in, including a local television journalist who took the time to listen to our community’s voices. 

After Hanukkah, for the days still to come, for communities near and far, let’s keep trying to bring the light. Let’s keep trying to repair the world, one small step at a time, one connection at a time.

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