OPINION: This Chanukah we light up with pride
JLC’s #LightWithPride campaign urges British Jews to stand tall against hate, celebrating resilience and identity in the face of mounting hostility
In 2023, the JLC launched #LightWithPride in response to a London Council’s appalling decision to cancel a Chanukah lighting, citing an “increase in the number of hate crimes…both towards the Jewish and Muslim community” and fear that a Chanukkiah would “risk further inflaming tensions within our communities.”
Our aim was to acknowledge the increased antisemitism in response to October 7, and the distressing trend whereby British Jews felt compelled to remove mezuzahs, conceal their Magen Davids, alter their surnames online, and refrain from wearing kippot in public. In other words, the growing fear to be outwardly Jewish.
Unfortunately, this year, we have seen antisemitic incidents increase, with stones thrown at Jewish school buses, people yelled at outside Jewish community centres and many Jews avoiding central London on Saturdays due to ongoing demonstrations. Antisemitism now seems to have permeated much of the discourse around Israel and Gaza. Jews no longer feel safe to show up in social spaces, let alone have a voice at the table.
Speaking at the annual Harif commemorative event to mark the departure and expulsion of Jews from the Arab countries and Iran, I implored the audience to share our stories—stories of survival, of triumph, and of community, to show that we are not just “white Europeans” but a vibrant, diverse people with roots in the Middle East, in North Africa, and beyond.
So much of the hostility Israel faces in the court of public opinion is because of the false binary perpetuated by bad faith actors and amplified on social media. Accusations of Israel being a white colonialist state – a ridiculous accusation if you know anything about Israel – means that many refuse to accept that Israelis can be victims. That this narrative persists only underscores the need for us to tell the real story of Israel and the story of Jewish refugees from the Middle East. We need to educate on the diversity of our people, on our shared history, and on the complex and painful realities that have shaped our present.
As we approach Chanukah, we celebrate the miracle of the Jewish people overcoming oppression, reminding us of the physical struggle for religious freedom. The antisemitism we see today is a mix of not just the antisemitism of the story of Chanukah but also the antisemitism of the story of Purim.
#LightWithPride is an invitation for each of us to proudly celebrate our heritage and to fight for our freedom to be freely Jewish
Chanukah antisemitism is rooted in political power and religious intolerance—forces that sought to erase Jewish identity. The antisemitism of the far left. Purim antisemitism is rooted in hatred for the Jewish people, grounded in a desire to destroy an entire people simply for existing. We see this manifesting in far right and Islamist antisemitism.
Following from their ancient predecessor of Haman, the Iranian regime is clear that this is their aim.
But in both stories, the common theme is survival against overwhelming odds, and the courage to stand up for our people and our faith. Today we need to find the courage of the Maccabees, and of Queen Esther and Mordechai to overcome the unholy alliance which threatens us.
We live in a country where we are free but as the then Governor of California, Ronald Reagan said, “freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people”.
#LightWithPride is an invitation for each of us to proudly celebrate our heritage and to fight for our freedom to be freely Jewish. We encourage you to light your Chanukiah, capture the moment, and share it on social media using the hashtag #LightWithPride. By doing so, we collectively affirm that our traditions and identity are sources of joy and resilience.
We also invite you to see our Chanukiah at Trafalgar Square over the Chanukah period. The public setting of this, amidst rising antisemitism, shows that our light will not be dimmed and that we will always #LightWithPride.
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