Eighth night of Chanukah at the Western Wall Plaza: US Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Thomas Nides, with the blessing of the President of the United States in honor of Chanukah
Tonight (Sunday) was the eighth and last Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony for this year at the Western Wall Plaza. The theme was “For out of Zion shall come forth the Torah and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
The candle lighting took place in the presence of: the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau; US ambassador to Israel, Mr. Thomas Nides and his wife Virginia Moseley; leader of Argentina’s minister cabinet, Mr Chuan Manzur, Commissioner of Israel’s National Fire and Rescue Authority, Captain Eyal Caspi; rabbi of the Fire Authority, Rabbi Chaim Pearl; Police District Commander Shmulik Friedman; Jerusalem District Fire Commander Nissim Twito; director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director of the Ministry for Religious Affairs, Mr. Gal Shem Tov; commanders of Jerusalem stations, fire and rescue personnel, IDF soldiers, beloved families, and the general public.
Rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz: “We are happy to light the eighth Chanukah candle near the site of the oil jug miracle in the presence of tens of thousands of the Jewish nation who participated here throughout the holiday and those who couldn’t come and watched the live broadcasts. We pray that the light of the candles continues all year and that the Western Wall continues to be a place of unity and peace in and out of our home.”
Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau: “Chanukah has a great and special virtue that symbolizes the victory of the spirit. A simple flame that says that the kohanim (priests) came here thousands of years ago to return the spiritual light, the light of the flame that rises up, but at this place, that is open for prayer to all who come from around the world while preserving the customs and rules of the site. The eyes of the entire Jewish nation look to here. May we merit seeing the light burning in the Temple next year and may we see the fulfillment of the verse, “O that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion; when the Lord returns the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.”
Eighth night of Chanukah at the Western Wall Plaza: US Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Thomas Nides, with the blessing of the President of the United States in honor of Chanukah: “In the name of US President Joe Biden and the citizens of America, we would like to wish you on this eighth night of Chanukah – Happy Chanukah. And most importantly, we celebrate the inextricable bond between the United States and Israel.”
Captain Eyal Caspi, Fire and Rescue Authority: “The Chanukah candles we light every evening show the heroic story of the firefighters who took upon themselves the lofty mission of saving life and protecting the safety of civilians while exhibiting determination, strength, and devotion.
“Fire has the ability to warm, to connect, and to illuminate, while at the same time it can burn and destroy everything in its path. In order not to need more miracles, we must guarantee that the Fire and Rescue Authority remains strong, advanced, and capable of operations that can meet the many challenges we face, including the world climate crisis.
“I hope we remember and continue to believe that even if each of us is a small light, the strength of the citizens of Israel is in their unity, which has always been and always will be a great light.”
