Community leaders join Bushey Chabad for menorah lighting at Watford General
Days after funerals for Jewish victims of mass shooting in Australia, local officials and NHS staff gather in solidarity
Bushey Chabad Jewish Community Centre, in conjunction with the Watford General Hospital Chaplaincy team, hosted a menorah lighting at Watford General Hospital, bringing together community members, local leaders, and NHS staff in a powerful show of unity and support.
Despite rainy weather, a large crowd gathered for the event, which featured remarks from Peter Taylor, mayor of Watford, Laurence Brass, chair of Hertfordshire County Council, Catherine Dugmore, chair of west Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and Rabbi Yosef Sharfstein, director of Bushey Chabad and the hospital’s Jewish chaplain.
Mayor Peter Taylor said: “One of the things that’s fundamental to our society is the freedom to worship and to be free from fear, discrimination and violence. We’ve seen what we took for granted really challenged in recent years, and so we stand in solidarity with you. It’s good to see people from all walks of life here this evening, and as has been said already, we all believe that light triumphs over darkness.”
Catherine Dugmore said: “We embrace diversity, we embrace inclusion, we care and support each other, we respect everyone no matter what faith or ethnicity or culture they come from. I was delighted to be invited to come to this event today to support our coming together for light – as you say, the light in the darkness. We stand in solidarity with you as a community and we welcome being part of this celebration.”
Expressing heartfelt condolences for the Chanukah massacre on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Laurence Brass said: “Yesterday we buried two Chabad Rabbis and I know how painful that must be to you, and I think everybody here sends you and all in your organisation our most sincere and deep sympathies. This is a terrible week, but you’re ploughing on and we are going to ensure that light conquers darkness – and that is the point of Chanukah.”
Rabbi Yosef Sharfstein added: “Chanukah shows us that if we stay laser-focused on spreading goodness, kindness, inclusiveness, and respect for one another, miracles can happen. All of us can live together side by side in peace and harmony. I thank every single one of you for coming out here today – it shows that you care, you are on the side of goodness.”
The event concluded with the lighting of the Watford Hospital Gratitude Menorah, a gift from local Hertfordshire Chabad communities to honor and thank NHS staff.
The menorah is inscribed with words of appreciation from members of the Jewish community and is displayed outside the hospital each year during the Chanukah festival as a symbol of gratitude and light.
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