New York, NY

Note: AI was used to light the remaining candles so that are are lit in the photograph.


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This photo is dedicated to the innocent victims who died on 7 October 2023 and everyone who made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield as they hold back the modern-day “barbarians” – forces of evil – who continue attempts to penetrate the Gates of Western Civilization to plunge the world in a new dark ages – to extinguish the light of democracy and tolerance and that of the Abrahamic Faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and yes true Islam too).

Let the examples of Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, and Almog Sarusi, provide inspiration. They kept the faith and refused to allow the monsters holding them to extinguish the miracle of Hanukkah (shown by the recovered videos reported by the Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel, etc. on 11 December 2025. Having died al kiddush hashem for the sanctification of God’s name – they are a 21st century Hanukkah miracle. The ner tamid (Eternal light of God) burned brightly in each of their hearts as they walked through the valley of darkness [Tehilla:Psalm 23:4] – a path they had not chosen but accepted:

“[I]n [Y]our light do we see light.” [Tehilla/Psalm 36:9]

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy… [Tehilla/Psalm 16:11]

“…I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” [Tehilla/Psalm 23:6]

This photo is fitting since the lit Menorah displayed in the Oculus at the World Trade Center was includes metal from the destroyed World Trade Centers on 9/11 when modern-day “barbarians” attacked New York and Washington, D.C. More information can be found in the placard photo.

It should also be noted, that if God had not acted through Cyrus the Great (c. 600-530 BCE] or if the first Hanukkah miracle had not taken place (164 BCE) the world would have been polytheistic or completely secular and most of us Jew, Christian and Muslim would not have our respective faiths.

Consequently John 1:5 remains true: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Because of this, Hanukkah in reality is a holiday for Christians and Muslims, too – a miracle to celebrate. Like that Hanukkah in 2023 when many Jewish people in my town were afraid to display their symbols because of the sudden surge of anti-Semitism that followed the cowardly 7 October genocide, my menorah as every year since, is set in place on my kitchen window for visible display to all who enter my apartment building. And if I’m asked again, “I thought you were Christian?” my answer will also be the same – “It’s my holiday too!”

יהי רצון שהחג הזה יביא לך אור ושמחה! (May this holiday bring you light and joy!)

Finally per the conclusion of my latest novel due out in January 2026 – The Burning Hand, which takes place in 303 BCE Israel, it should be known to the world that the dark forces of evil that seek to annihilate God's chosen people and erase them from the promised land will not succeed – not now, not ever:

At the same time, even though Eliya saw clearly that the path ahead for her people would be fraught with uncertainty, she knew somehow and in ways not yet seen, all would be made right and it would work out for the best – for Yahweh had spoken and His word could not be broken – “Your word, O Lord, will last forever, it is eternal...” [Tehillah 119:89]

She also knew, “the Jewish story was not about death [or darkness]. [It] was about [light] and life” such that in the aftermath of every sorrow and catastrophe, Israel like the phoenix – the legendary and immortal bird of rebirth dating back to 8th century BCE mythology – would rise from the ashes and her people would be renewed and most importantly, LIVE.
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Jeffrey Salkin. Israel is about hope. RNS. 1 May 2025. religionnews.com/2025/05/01/israel-is-about-hope