Lighting the Ninth Candle: A Prayer for Solidarity, Resistance, and Palestinian Liberation

An Invitation to Join a Chanukah Ritual of Solidarity Across the Globe

Chanukah is an eight-day holiday where we light candles to celebrate the miracle of resilience and freedom. On the first night, we light one candle, and each subsequent night, we add another until the menorah is full with eight glowing flames.

In Syrian Jewish tradition, there is a unique custom to light a ninth candle each night of Chanukah. This practice is rooted in a story of gratitude and connection. In 1492, when Spain expelled its Jewish population, my ancestors—like so many Sephardic Jews—were forced to leave their homes. They sought refuge across the Ottoman Empire, and in cities like Aleppo, they were embraced by the Syrian people. The additional candle honors Syria, its people, and the land that welcomed my family and so many others with open arms.

Today, this prayer for open borders, hospitality, and multi-religious solidarity is vital to kindle across the region, helping us remember our past and envision our future.

This time last year, amidst the ongoing and horrific genocide that Israel is committing against Palestinians, I chose to light an extra candle for Palestine and Palestinian resistance. Just as my ancestors lit a ninth candle to honor the Syrian people who welcomed them in times of exile, I light an extra candle for Palestine—to honor the resilience and resistance of its people in the face of oppression.

There is a deep history of solidarity between Jews and Muslims that has been suffocated by the forces of Zionism and Western imperialism. It is vital that we remember and enact this solidarity in the present.

This year, I continue to mourn how Zionism has distorted my religion, turning it into a hyper-militarized nation-state that perpetuates mass violence against the people with whom I share a deep, connected history. For me, Judaism is not Zionism. My Judaism is rooted in justice and compassion and expresses itself through solidarity with Palestinians, Syrians, and all people across the Levant fighting for their liberation.

It might feel small to light an extra candle in the face of a brutal and violent occupation and apartheid regime. Yet I believe these small acts of ritual have the power to reverberate across communities and the globe. Chanukah is all about visualizing the miracle, and traditionally, we place our menorah on the windowsill for all to see. In the same way, how can we as Jewish people make our solidarity with Palestinians visible? How can we insist that our Judaism is unintelligible without a commitment to Palestinian liberation and justice? Just as we illuminate the world with the light of our tradition, we must ensure that the light of justice, compassion, and resistance shines brightly, making our solidarity with the Palestinian people as visible as the menorah on the windowsill.

Transformation of consciousness is foundational to the struggle for political liberation. How can we carry the light of the Palestinian people’s resilience and resistance across the world? How can we commit to the message that no matter how violent the occupation becomes, it cannot succeed in erasing the Palestinian people?

This light is a reminder: their existence, their resistance, and their humanity endure.

The Chanukah story reminds us that even in the face of destruction, oppression, and attempts to erase our tradition and culture, something always endures. When the Temple was destroyed and so little remained, a miracle occurred: oil meant for just one night burned for eight.

In Judaism, the number 8 symbolizes the supernatural—a number of miracles. In spiritual practice, I like to think of miracles not as events that defy nature but as moments that transcend our consciousness. They happen when something we believed to be impossible suddenly becomes possible, shifting our understanding of what can be.

In these days, when the path to freedom for the Palestinian people seems obscured, it is vital to remember that liberation can always be closer than it seems. We must draw inspiration from the Palestinian principle of Sumud—steadfastness—not only in our actions but also in our thoughts and convictions.

Resistance to empire is rooted in resilience, and resilience will always find a way to endure and succeed. How can we continue to keep the faith, ignite it in one another, and sustain our solidarity work across the globe?

This year, I invite people everywhere—Jewish or not—to join me in the ritual of adding an extra candle for Palestine. May this simple act become a powerful prayer, reverberating across the world as a call for justice, freedom, and Palestinian liberation—soon, in our days.