BBCGood morning,
There is one feature of Chanukah that distinguishes it from other Jewish festivals. Almost every meal, ritual and act of worship in Jewish life takes place privately, at home or in the Synagogue. But Chanukah is different. It carries an obligation, which is known in Jewish tradition as “Pirsumei Nisa”, to publicise the miracle of Jewish survival.
Yesterday, my cousin and his wife spent 15 terrifying minutes hiding under a doughnut stand as terrorists were shooting at them and those around them on Bondi Beach in Sydney. Today they went to Synagogue to offer prayers of gratitude for their survival. Many others weren’t so fortunate. Once again, Jews were targeted for the simple act of gathering together, visibly and peacefully, as Jews.
Chanukah recalls the defiance of a small band of Jews some 2,150 years ago, who were targeted by Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes. He denied them the right to openly practise their faith, demanding conversion on pain of death. On Chanukah, we publicise not only their survival, but also their refusal to be intimidated or erased. They insisted that Judaism must never be driven into the shadows.
On Chanukah, Jews around the world declare: We are here, we belong, and we will not hide who we are.
Yesterday, in Sydney, that declaration was met with murderous hatred and this moment demands more than sympathy; it demands moral clarity. The right of Jewish communities to gather freely, safely and publicly, is not a Jewish issue alone. It is a test of the moral health of any society that claims to value freedom, difference and human dignity. Jews have lived with security concerns for as long as I can remember, but the fact that today every public Jewish gathering must be weighed for risk is a sign of something deeply wrong. A society in which a minority must calculate whether it is safe to be seen together in public, is a society that is failing all of its citizens.
That is why we must address not only the symptoms of toxic antisemitism, but its causes. We must stand together against the normalised rhetoric that demonises Jews and the only Jewish State.
We have a shared responsibility to ensure that the impact of this hatred does not simply fade from our minds, as it fades from the headlines.
Both the story of Chanukah, and yesterday’s attack are a sober reminder that darkness will advance wherever decent people retreat, and that light can only be preserved when people are prepared to stand up for it.
Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 15 December 2025.