Lighting Hannukah candle, German president says Jewish community is ‘a gift’
Frank-Walter Steinmeier lights first candle of Europe’s largest hanukiah at the symbolic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday lit the first Hannukah candle on Europe’s largest hanukiah at Brandenberg Gate in Berlin, calling Germany’s renewed Jewish community “a gift.”
Noting that it was 80 years since Kristallnacht — the “Night of Broken Glass” — when Nazis terrorized Jews throughout Germany and Austria, Steinmeier said it was “a gift that we can reach out to join hands over the chasm of our history,” according to a translation of his remarks in the Deutche Welle newspaper.
The history of the Nazi persecution of the Jews is “the obligation and the responsibility” of the Germans, “under which there will be no end,” he said.
Israel’s Education Minister Naftali Bennett also noted the symbolic location of the candle lighting ceremony, tweeting side-by-side pictures of the famous gate now and at the time of the Nazis, with the phrase from a Hannukah song “In those days, at this time.”
שער ברנדבורג, ברלין.
בימים ההם, בזמן הזה.
צילום: דוברות חב"ד pic.twitter.com/AkixGXqcFZ— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) December 2, 2018
The annual celebration at Brandenburg Gate took place even though many Jews in Germany are hesitant to display religious symbols openly following an increase in anti-Semitic violence in Europe. Chabad claims its menorah is the biggest in Europe, and has been lighting it in a public ceremony at the historical landmark for 17 years.
In Israel, President Reuven Rivlin lit the first candle with ultra-Orthodox IDF soldiers.
Some 7,400 ultra-Orthodox solders serve as officers and solders in the IDF, according to a statement from Rivlin’s office. Many ultra-Orthodox are exempt from serving and it is a contentious issue among the community.
“I look at you and see modern-day Hasmoneans – soldiers, warriors, righteous men who learn Torah. This is really a Hannukah miracle,” said Rivlin.
“I want to express my deep appreciation for your contribution to the security of the State of Israel. Your contribution is wide-ranging. You are a bridge of unity. You have not broken out, you are breaking a new path,” he said.
The Times of Israel Community.