A Hanukkah Message for Our Community

In just a few hours, we’ll light the third candle of Hanukkah together, and tonight, we are choosing joy with everything we've got.

Yes, we are living in a moment where the unspeakable has touched this holiday. Like many of you, our hearts have been turned toward Sydney since the first night of Hanukkah, holding grief, some fear, and deep solidarity all at once. Some of us are just 1-2 degrees of separation from those killed or injured. We aren't looking away.

And we are insisting, fiercely: what this moment demands is more candles. Everywhere. Immediately.

Tonight, we gather for the Festival of Lights. Publicly. Proudly. Together.

We want you to know that we’ve been working closely and carefully with all the right partners and authorities to make sure that tonight’s Hanukkah celebration in Montefiore Park will be safe, secure, and truly joyous. A lot of unseen, behind-the-scenes work has gone into making this possible—and we are so proud of what we’ve built in partnership with so many community organizations, neighborhood leaders, and local businesses. This gathering is doing exactly what it’s meant to do: weaving our community tighter, brighter, and more connected.

We are inviting everyone we know. Neighbors from our building. Folks from the block. Friends of friends. And we hope you’ll do the same. Bring someone with you—especially someone who’s never been before. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, it’s not too late.

In a few hours, we’ll light the menorah together in the park, and then head inside to warm up with latkes, sufganiyot, and the simple magic of being in close relationship with our neighbors. The Neighborhood Association will also be honoring the leaders and volunteers who keep this place lit up all year long.

You’ve heard us say this over and over again—because it’s true: we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams come true. We have a menorah. In a public square. Our neighbors are genuinely excited about it. They’re stopping to take photos. Smiling. Lingering. And this year, they even moved their own tree-lighting event to join us, because they were so eager to widen the tent of community together.

This is not small. This is the dream.

Hanukkah was never meant to be quiet or private. It’s about refusing to hide the light. It’s about taking it outside, even when it’s cold, even when it’s complicated, even when your fingers are numb—because shared light changes the air between us. There is no more powerful way to live this holiday than to show up, shoulder to shoulder with neighbors of so many backgrounds, and light it up together.

We’ve been soaking in that light all week. At our recent Hanukkah Host Rally, neighbors gathered to prepare to host in their own homes, lobbies, community rooms, and storefronts—learning Torah, sharing why this season matters to them, and getting ready to open their doors wide. 23 hosts will welcome others around Harlem this year. And of course, following the Rally, hosts are already running into each other around the neighborhood, new relationships sparking because Hanukkah has a way of making paths cross.

On Sunday, our home was a steady stream of neighbors from afternoon until nearly midnight, coming to pick up menorahs, candles, dreidels, gelt, and everything they needed to host joy. If you need a menorah—or want to gift one so someone else can share light—we’ve got you covered.

We do this work not just because it’s what we do, but because it’s who we are. Hanukkah reminds us that our calling is to be lamplighters: to create as much light as possible, for as many people as possible, knowing that flame is the one thing that grows when it’s shared. It’s intense, logistical, often unseen work—and it is profoundly, stubbornly hopeful.

So buckle up. Come be with us tonight. Let’s flood this neighborhood with light.

And wherever you’re celebrating this week, help us spread it even further—share a photo of your menorah or your gathering, use #HanukkahAcrossHarlem, and tag @TziburHarlem.