As Hanukkah begins, South Florida Jews grapple with rising antisemitism, heartbreak of war

As Hanukkah approached, Rabbi Jonathan Fisch was hesitant to display a menorah and Star of David outside his home in South Miami. He and his wife discussed the concerns.

“Is that going to put a target on our backs? What would it be like to wake up and have our decorations destroyed?” said Fisch, a rabbi at Temple Judea in Coral Gables. “How would my daughters react to that?”

Over drinks with a few close neighbors, he aired worries about growing antisemitism across the country. But one day not long after, he stepped outside to see a six-foot-tall inflatable Hanukkah dreidel displayed on the lawn next door. That neighbor was not Jewish. That small act of solidarity signaled his community had his back.

“We were in tears when my wife and I were going out on a date night and just saw it,” Fisch said. “I got messages from our community saying, ‘No one’s gonna mess with you.’”

That powerful moment actually came last year in the days before the annual Festival of Lights — and antisemitic incidents across the country and in Florida have only spiked since amid the violence in Israel and the Gaza strip. This year, for Fisch and his wife, there was still a discussion about risk but no hesitation. Those decorations went up to mark an annual celebration— but also as a statement of unity and Jewish strength.

“The answer is, absolutely,” he said. “It’s not just about the safety of our family. It’s about the continuation of our peoplehood. And that’s what’s at stake.”

As Hanukkah kicks off on Thursday, Jews across Miami-Dade are grappling with how to celebrate a typically joyful holiday amid heartbreak after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 and subsequent war between Israel and Gaza.

Some people are approaching the holiday with caution and some Hanukkah celebrations have even been canceled, according to Rabbi Rachel Greengrass of Temple Beth Am.

“It’s not unfounded fear. There have been many incidences,” Greengrass said. “It’s a celebration of overcoming impossible odds, and yet it is shrouded in some darkness.”

Israeli government officials in Miami acknowledged how difficult it can be to celebrate Hanukkah with the tragedy of war on everyone’s minds.

“Hanukkah is supposed to be the festivity of light,” said Mike Driquez, deputy consulate general for Israeli consulate at a Tuesday news conference that included the release of a 47-minute video showing horrific attacks by Hamas terrorists on Israelis. “From one side, it’s going to be very sad because we are in the 61st day of this terrible war, but from the other side we are here to show the light.”

Still, in a place with one of the largest Jewish populations in the country, there’s also been a call to be even more visible in celebrations, said Jacob Solomon, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

“It’s absolutely imperative that Jews proudly and publicly assert our love of our tradition and our unity,” he said. “To in any way cause the current situation to make us less proud or less participatory is essentially giving the terrorists and the haters a victory.”

The meaning of Hanukkah

Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, has held different meanings for the Jewish people depending on the time and place it’s celebrated, said Solomon. At times, it’s been a symbol for celebrating religious freedom due to the Hanukkah story of Jews overcoming religious oppression.

“Today it’s a symbol of hope and unity in a very dark time in history,” Solomon said.

The original Hanukkah story commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Greek-Syrian occupation more than 2,000 years ago. After Jews were banned from practicing their faith, the Macabbees, the Jewish rebel army, revolted and reclaimed the Second Temple. Then they witnessed what they believed to be a miracle. Even though there was only enough oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for one day, the candles lasted for eight nights.

“The light of the candles signifies inspiration and hope,” Solomon said. It’s also why Jews celebrate for eight days and eight nights.

“The image of Jews gathered around the Hanukkah menorah as families or as community gives us comfort at a time when so many of us are feeling deeply unsettled and concerned about the future,” he said.

One undeniable tenant of Hanukkah: it’s meant to be celebrated in public, for all to witness.

“One of the mitzvahs of Hanukkah is really to promote the miracle to the outside world,” Rabbi Greengrass said. “You’re supposed to actually put your menorah in the window. You’re really identifying yourself as a Jew to the outside world and celebrating your Jewish heritage and culture.”

What ‘rededication’ means to Jews

Many Jews view the holiday as a time for rededication to their faith, said Greengrass. For her, this looks like higher attendance in the synagogue and a renewed thirst for understanding the history of the Jewish people.

“There’s definitely a rededication happening in terms of learning about Israel, supporting Israel. And I think more than anything, not taking Israel for granted,” she said.

For some Jews, like Donna Nevel, who’s an active member of Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that opposes the Israeli government’s reliatory couunterstrikes on Gaza, Hanukkah this year means a rededication to values of social justice — particularly for the Palestinian people and other marginalized groups.

“My values and my observance of Hanukkah is extremely consistent with standing up for justice,” said Nevel, a Miami Beach native. “We can’t end antisemitism without ending Islamophobia, anti-Black racism and anti-Palestinian racism. They’re deeply interconnected.”

The war is a divisive and difficult subject but Nevel hopes that lighting the menorah this year will “rekindle the humanity” within Jews who she believes fail to see the humanity of Palestinians.

“It is an extremely brutal assault on an entire people. There’s no other way to understand it,” she said. “Supporting this assault and opposing a ceasefire goes against everything I ever learned about what it means to be Jewish.”

For Rabbi Fisch, who just returned from a mission trip in Israel, the strength of the Israeli people inspired him to stay strong back home in South Florida during hard times.

“The power of the Israeli is in the soul. You can’t deplete that,” he said. “Even when darkness envelops the world, there is a great light.”

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Miami Herald Staff Writer David Goodhue contributed to this story. It was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.