Wednesday was the shortest day of the year.  However this year's winter solstice was not the darkest day of the year.  After all, the moon is still in its waning phase, and is therefore still visible, partially at least.

Even a small crescent of moonlight can brighten the night sky.

Nevertheless, Hanukkah comes at one of the darkest points of the year.  As each day of Hanukkah progresses, the waning moonlight decreases, casting more darkness. On the seventh night, the moon will not be visible.  So when we kindle the lights of the Hanukkah Menorah (which begins on Saturday night) we begin with one candle and add one candle each night, with each new candle helping to bring more light into places that are dark. 

Bringing light into darkened spaces seems like an apt metaphor for these days.  Yes, there is much joy and cheer at this time of year.  However, there is much darkness as well. Many are experiencing general fear, anxiety and malaise;  there have been specific national upsurges in incidents of hate and anti-Semitism.  One example of many is unfolding in Whitefish MT, where a very small Jewish community is under siege.

The rabbi and the Jewish community have been subjected to harrowing attacks spurred on by the leader of a white supremacist /alt-Right/ anti-Semitic organization who calls Whitefish MT his home.  (I've been asked to leaving out the names of the individuals in order to protect the Rabbi and Jews of Whitefish from further internet trolling attacks.  You can google Whitefish and anti-Semitism to learn the full story.)  This colleague and Jews in Whitefish have been subjected to vicious on-line harassment, threatening phone calls to their homes and more. Their names, home addresses and other contact information have been published in various anti-Semitic online forums with instructions to verbally abuse and threaten physical harm.  What is happening there is unconscionable but becoming more common these days.  Indeed, it has been a very dark and distressing week in Whitefish.

However, often where there is darkness, people bring their light. Residents of Whitefish are coming to the aid of their Jewish neighbors.  A general campaign that combats bigotry and xenophobia in Whitefish called Love Lives Here has been around for more than a year demonstrating that Whitefish will not be defined by the residency of one of the nation's most notorious and dangerous anti-Semites.  Letters of support to the Jewish community in particular abound.  These efforts don't erase the fear, intimidation and threats faced by the rabbi and the Jews of Whitefish.  However, they show that they are not alone nor forgotten.

As you prepare to light the first candle this Saturday night, bringing that flicker of light into your home, I invite you to send a Hanukkah card to the Whitefish Jewish community, showing that we here in Southern California care about our brothers and sisters in Montana.  

The mailing address is Glacier Jewish Community - B'nai Shalom, 591 Hilltop Court, Whitefish, MT 59937.

May we be bearers of light, helping to show that love, kindness and support can help brighten dark days.  

I wish you a very joyous Festival of Lights and a Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Charles Briskin