World’s Jews are ‘shell-shocked’, annual Hanukkah candle service told in Dublin

Jews around the world are shell-shocked after the Hamas attack on Israel in October that left 1,200 dead, a service in Dublin heard on Tuesday night.

Rabbi Zalman Lent told the service at Dublin’s Mansion House during which six candles were lit on a menorah that there are those who seek “to destroy the Jewish people, time after time, generation after generation – to extinguish our lights and the lights of our menorah. But somehow we survive, and somehow the menorah does too.

“We lit the menorah wherever possible in the ghettos, in the concentration camps, during Inquisition and Holocaust. The lights may go out for a while, but they come back brighter than ever.

“For years after the Holocaust we proclaimed never again, but never again happened two months ago, a miniature Shoah, where 1,200 innocent peace loving civilians were brutally butchered to death, from young babies to elderly Holocaust survivors. Hundreds were taken hostage and as we speak there are still 136 being held captive in the most terrifying conditions, in underground tunnels, starved, beaten, raped and murdered. It is for them that we light tonight,” he said.

Gaza: Israeli troops advance north and south as Israel marks start of Independence Day

---

Egypt joins South African case at ICJ accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza

---

Yahya Sinwar: The October 7th architect who is playing a key role in ceasefire negotiations

---

Bambie Thug’s sixth place makes for dramatic Eurovision night in Malmo

---

Rabbi Lent, of the Chabad centre in Dublin’s Rathmines, was speaking at the annual Hanukkah candle lighting service outside the Mansion House. Other participants in the service included Rabbi Yoni Weider of Dublin’s Hebrew Congregation, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Michael Jackson, Shaykh Umar al-Qadri and Adrian Cristea of the Dublin City Interfaith Forum, as well as chairman of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, Maurice Cohen.

“Jews around the world are shell-shocked that after the horrors committed to our people in broad daylight, and streamed live on Gopro cameras - that it is already being denied that it ever happened,” said Rabbi Lent. “We pray that all the madness can come to an end – and all of us, every man, woman and child of every faith, colour and creed – can share this beautiful world in mutual respect and harmony.”

Rabbi Weider spoke of how “at a time when Jewish people throughout the world feel that there is a lot of darkness, we can curse the darkness or we can light the light. And when we see people bringing so much distress and darkness into this world, we need to counterbalance that by bringing light and love and kindness.”

Archbishop Jackson spoke of how the “combination of human interaction and theological dialogue is extremely important to the lives that we hope to live as engaged citizens here in Dublin and in Ireland.”

In the Church of Ireland, they were “more than aware of the suffering of Jewish people worldwide”. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity “to be with this wonderful community on this wonderful evening.”

Shaykh al-Qadri remarked that “some people may be surprised at my attendance today, particularly with what is going on in the Middle East” but he felt it important “to send out a message that irrespective of what is happening in other parts of the world our communities here in Europe, Muslim and Jewish, should not have to face antisemitism or Islamophobia.”

It was “our responsibility as faith communities, Jewish and Muslim, to be together and say no to hate crime, no to Islamophobia, and no to antisemitism”, he said. “Israelis or Palestinians, we stand with all innocent people. We stand against injustice and against the murder of innocent people. And we pray that there may be peace.”

Meanwhile, Rabbi Wieder, who took up his position at the Terenure synagogue in Dublin this summer, told The Irish Times he believes language used in Ireland about the current war in Gaza is “woefully” inaccurate and misleading.

“Politicians have said that Israel is taking revenge on the Palestinians, that Israel is collectively punishing the people of Gaza, that Israel is targeting civilians. Yet this does not at all reflect the reality of the situation.”

[ Pro-Palestinian demonstration held outside US ambassador’s residence in Dublin ]

Israel, he pointed out, “is fighting a war to get rid of Hamas. Hamas broke the ceasefire that was in place before October 7th. Hamas are a designated terror organisation according to the EU, with an explicit charter calling for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews. Hamas are the ones who have no care for civilian life. Hamas are the ones who have no interest in reaching any kind of peace deal. If our politicians are in favour of peace, they must be in favour of getting rid of Hamas.”

The Irish Government “has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, but has not acknowledged that a ceasefire would enable Hamas to continue their regime of terror in Gaza. It would allow Hamas to continue obstructing the peace process. It would almost certainly guarantee untold future casualties, and potentially even a repeat of the unspeakable atrocities carried out on October 7th,” he said.

He felt “immense distress at the images coming out of Gaza, and I have huge pain and anguish over every innocent civilian life that is lost in Gaza. But these deaths are the responsibility of Hamas, who for years have used Palestinian civilians as human shields.”

• Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
• Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
• Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here