ERIC SOLOMON: This Hanukkah, we are desperate for light

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rabbi Eric Solomon shares the spiritual leadership of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh with his wife, Rabbi Dr. Jennifer Solomon.

This Hanukkah, the North Carolina Jewish community is desperate for light.

As summer turned into fall, my synagogue, Beth Meyer in north Raleigh, was shaken by bomb threats — including on one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar.

This came after a tumultuous few years: swastikas painted on greenways, hate-filled flyers strewn through neighborhoods, and loose talk by local politicians, both right and left, that trafficked in antisemitic tropes.

Then came October 7, the most cursed Sabbath since the Holocaust. Approximately 1,200 people — Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, and foreign nationals from 40 countries — were murdered and 240 taken hostage by Hamas, a terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel. The numbers are imprecise for many are mere ashes, making identification nearly impossible.

A crushing blow came from our state’s flagship university. A group of students protested with signs glorifying paragliding terrorists, accompanied by chants of: “We are Hamas!”

Two weeks later, I found myself standing a kilometer from Gaza, walking solemnly through the torched grounds of Kibbutz Kfar Aza with a group of rabbis.

“Right here,” our guide pointed, “a community leader was killed trying to save his family. All were either murdered or taken captive.”

“On this road,” he pointed in the distance, “I saw a young woman lying dead, clothes torn, legs spread with blood in between.”

Then, he brought us to the burned-out Berdichevski house. Here, two terrified parents hovered over their 10-month old twins, trying to save them from terrorists breaking into homes. The babies were hungry, so the mother ran to get formula from the kitchen. She was murdered and fell to the floor.

The father was shot dead between the babies’ beds. The terrorists let the babies cry so that neighbors would come their aid. The twins’ cries were a death trap. Every person who ventured out was killed.

Ever since October 7, the Jewish community has been tied in knots.

We worry sick as young Israeli soldiers go to war, and our hearts are broken by the deaths of so many innocent Palestinians, many of them children, caught in the crossfire.

We wait with bated breath for hostages to be released and shudder when we hear of an Islamophobic attack in the U.S.

We hold our children tight when Hamas declares a “Day of Rage” against Jews throughout the world and gasp in disbelief as a celebrity tells us that American Jews only now are “getting a taste of what it feels like” to be subjected to violence -- a statement that erases the history of Jewish persecution.

We struggle to understand why city councils everywhere, including those in Carrboro and Raleigh, are branching out into international affairs, calling for a ceasefire as if they are suddenly experts on foreign policy.

All of us desperately want a ceasefire, but we dig into the details and see that these resolutions all too often neglect the return of hostages, the surrender of Hamas and an international commitment to making sure Israel is never savagely attacked again.

And what can we say about the silence of feminist organizations who declare that the world should “Believe Every Woman” but exclude women who are Israeli?

To far too many, Jewish lives don’t matter.

Thankfully, there are moments of light. Like the business owner from Elm City who called me to say how worried she was in light of the war and increased antisemitism.

“My husband and I have a big farm. If anybody in the community is afraid, you just tell ‘em to come on down and y’all can stay with us.”

I told her it would not be necessary but her offer was so genuine, it brought tears to my eyes.

This Hanukkah, as we have done for millennia, the Jewish community will place Hanukkah menorahs in the windows of our homes.

With one difference.

According to Jewish tradition, we place the menorah in the window so it can spread the inspiring message of Hanukkah, a message of light in the darkness, to the world. With God’s help, all humanity will be safe and free.

This year, we will ask God to shine some of that light into our homes as well.

Your Jewish neighbors need it more than ever.

Capitol Broadcasting Company's Opinion Section seeks a broad range of comments and letters to the editor. Our Comments beside each opinion column offer the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about this article. In addition, we invite you to write a letter to the editor about this or any other opinion articles. Here are some tips on submissions >> SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR