Barricades, riot police, dozens of police vehicles, a precautionary water cannon and thorough bag searches: security was increased at the traditional lighting of the Hanukkah menorah at the Brandenburg Gate this year in the wake of anti-Semitic protests over the weekend, during which Palestinians and Arabs burned Israeli flags.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m. (1730 UTC), Berlin Mayor Michael Müller, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas and Israeli Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff stood together to light the first candle of Europe’s largest Hanukkah menorah.
The menorah, which has been installed in front of the Brandenburg Gate to mark the eight-day-long Festival of Lights each year for the past several years, is 10 meters tall (33 feet).
Bringing light into the darkness
“We stand here at Pariser Platz, a site which was the center of darkness during the era of National Socialism,” said Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal, who heads Berlin’s Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Educational Center and is the rabbi of the Jewish Community of Berlin, “to light the Hanukkah menorah, so that we can symbolically bring light into the darkness. It is exactly at this site that we want to say that we seek a positive and tolerant society.”
“Especially now,” added Teichtal, referring to the anti-Semitic demonstrations sparked by US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US would officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Two days prior to the lighting of the menorah, angry Palestinians and Arabs burned Israeli flags and Stars of David in several neighborhoods around Berlin. They did so in front of the US Embassy at the Brandenburg Gate as well. Protesters announced they would demonstrate at the Hanukkah celebration, too.
wow nice Happy Chanukah Berlin
Once again Rabbi Tiechtel goes forward,threats don’t stop him
A shliach of the Rebbe knows that he is never alone,the Rebbe is with him ( Rabbi Tiechtel spoke about this topic precisely at the kinus this year)
Kol hakavod. Gives encouragement for me to do more.