Each night of Chanukah we will share a message from our clergy, candle blessings, and inspiration from our Orange County community.
Cantor Young's message includes who we are honoring as tonight's Shining Light, and each night of Chanukah we will continue to honor very special people in our TBESOC community.
In the spirit of Hanukkah, an eight-day holiday that celebrates the restoration of Jewish religious freedom in ancient Israel, we are highlighting eight religious communities under threat across the globe. Join us in shining a light on the areas of the world where darkness remains and the freedoms of religious communities are suppressed. Let this year’s Hanukkah observance, remind us to promote religious liberty and end the oppression of religious minorities wherever they may be. Please share this information with your friends and family to show your support for these communities and for religious freedom around the world.
Rohingya
In August 2017, the Burmese military began a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing against the long-persecuted community of Rohingya living in Myanmar’s (Burma) Rakhine State. Reports indicate that the military and police forces burned houses and villages to the ground, brutally murdered thousands, committed acts of sexual violence against women and girls, and other atrocities causing more than 700,000 Rohingya men, women, and children to flee to severely overcrowded refugee camps across the border in Bangladesh.
The Rohingya genocide is a series of ongoing persecutions by the Myanmar (formerly Burmese) government against the Muslim Rohingya people. The crisis forced over a million Rohingya to flee to other countries. Most fled to Bangladesh while others escaped to India, Thailand, Malaysia, and other parts of South and Southeast Asia.
The largest wave of Rohingya to flee Myanmar happened in 2017, which resulted in the largest human exodus in Asia since the Vietnam War. The 2016 military crackdown on the Rohingya people drew criticism from the UN (which cited possible "crimes against humanity"), the human rights group Amnesty International, the U.S. Department of State, the government of neighboring Bangladesh, and the government of Malaysia. The Burmese leader and State Counsellor (de facto head of government) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized for her inaction and silence over the issue and has done little to prevent military abuses.
On 23 January 2020, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to prevent genocidal violence against its Rohingya Muslim minority and to preserve evidence of past attacks.
BE THE LIGHT: Chanukah with TBESOC Saturday, December 12 at 6pm
While we have been looking sooo forward to creating an in person Chanukah event, we are changing our Drive-In BE the Light event to be virtual only. Even though the event was planned with safety at the forefront, this week, many of our volunteers and faculty have shared that they are not comfortable participating. We also want to set a good example for our children by staying home. We will re-create the event online only, and very much look forward to seeing you there.
During the course of this pandemic, we have experienced disappointment after disappointment as we have had to cancel celebrations, travel, holidays with family. Each of these disappointments creates a sense of loss and darkness. Chanukah is a time to see light in the darkness and shine out to the world. Like every holiday that we’ve celebrated virtually this year, each one of us has the opportunity to bring our light and our presence to our virtual online experiences. We want to celebrate with you and continue to shine even as we follow the stay at home order.
To drop off gift cards for families in need: please stop by the temple Mon-Fri 8am-3pm. For families with children: Please join us on Monday, Dec 14 at 5:30pm online here for a Chanukah celebration that is age appropriate.
