Chanukah at the AZM
Light a Candle — Wear a Dogtag — Remember the Soldiers
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For more information about the abducted soldiers and to find out what else you can do to make a difference, please go here.
This Chanukah, as you gather together with family and friends, we ask you to think about those who are unable to do so: captive Israeli soldiers, taken from their families and country in the line of duty. In addition to the three soldiers abducted this past summer, four soldiers were taken in Lebanon in the 1980’s and one soldier disappeared in the 1990’s from the Golan. All of them, Israel’s young soldiers, are modern-day Maccabbees – they defend the Jewish homeland, enabling Israel to build and sustain a flourishing society based on democratic values. As we are warmed by the light of the menorah, let us keep in mind these brave men who are now in the hands of terrorists, denied even their basic rights under the Geneva Convention. After lighting the candles, please take a moment to read the paragraph appropriate for each night.
First Night: Gilad Shalit
This first night of Hanukkah, we have in our thoughts Gilad Shalit, a shy young man who excels in math and science and helps his parents run a Bed & Breakfast in the Galilee. But this ordinary teenager was placed in extraordinary circumstances when he was kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas at 5:40 in the morning of June 25, 2006. He is currently being held in the southern Gaza Strip.
Shalit celebrated his 21th birthday in captivity on August 28. Now he is marking yet another celebration – the Festival of Lights – in the custody of terrorists instead of at home where he belongs.
Our thoughts are with his mother Aviva, father Noam, older brother Yoel, and younger sister Hadas.