LYNNWOOD—Amid grief over a deadly terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, approximately two hundred gathered at the Lynnwood City Center Light Rail Station on Sunday to light a giant menorah, affirming that goodness and light will overcome darkness and hate.
Rabbi Berel Paltiel, director of Snohaimish Chabad of Snohomish County, led the 14th annual event on the eighth night of Hanukkah, drawing a crowd that included local leaders and residents. He shared a message of resilience, drawing from the holiday’s ancient story of the Maccabees’ victory against overwhelming odds.
“We are optimistic tonight,” Rabbi Paltiel said. “We shine a candle this evening not because we put our heads in the sand, not because we’re in denial. It’s because we listen to the message of the Chanukah flame that’s been burning for over 2100 years.”
Paltiel explained that evil lacks substance, describing it as merely the absence of light.
“When you illuminate a candle of truth, a candle of reality, the negativity just dissipates,” he said urging attendees to respond to terror with acts of kindness, like greeting strangers or offering help.
“They do irrational acts of terror,” Paltiel added. “Do irrational acts of kindness and goodness.”
Sunday’s 14th Menorah Lighting Ceremony took on deeper meaning following the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach, where gunmen targeted a Chabad-Lubavitch Hanukkah event, killing 15 people, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger, and injuring 40. Paltiel, who knew Schlanger from their yeshiva days, called him a colleague and a light who represented love and faith. Schlanger had visited Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks to comfort survivors, repeatedly telling them that goodness would prevail—a sentiment Paltiel echoed in Lynnwood.
In a statement released shortly after the tragic Bondi Beach incident, Paltiel said he understood the fear many felt but refused to cancel the event.
“If we retreat, if we hide, we allow fear to define our reality,” he wrote. “But fear is not the truth of our world.”
He praised the community’s support and noted ongoing coordination with Lynnwood police for security at Sunday’s event.
Several elected officials spoke, reinforcing themes of unity and hope. Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers likened the menorah to the human spirit’s endurance.
“A small flame can push back a great deal of darkness,” Executive Somers said. “One light can become many. And when we gather together, as we are doing now, those lights do not diminish each other, they grow stronger.”
Outgoing Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell called for kindness amid global turmoil: “We can each take our candle, we can each take our kind words, we can take moments of helping one another and we can shine as we come together as one of humanity.”
Mayor-elect George Hurst shared childhood memories of Hanukkah songs from his upbringing in Nassau County, Long Island, located in the New York state. Acknowledging recent events like the October 7th terror attack and the Bondi incident, he affirmed, “Light will defeat darkness and love will defeat hate.”
“And right now, let’s be honest, we’re in some dark times,” Mayor-elect Hurst said. “We have October 7th, we had some fire bombings, we’ve had Gaza, we’ve had just Bondi Beach. And really, you know, the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has been constant through history. And it really is that God that provided the miracles for the lights of Hanukkah. And for me, the meaning of Hanukkah is more that light will defeat darkness and love will defeat hate.”
Washington State Senator Jesse Salomon (D32-Shoreline) highlighted Jewish resilience against historical attempts to erase their culture. As co-chair of the state’s Jewish Legislative Caucus, he mentioned efforts to combat antisemitism at universities.
“The Maccabees’ revolt was a resistance against the attempted erasure by the Greeks of our culture and our traditions,” Sen. Saloman said. “But history proves that we are a resilient people, that we will continue and that we will go on. These have most definitely been a difficult few years and it’s not just Bondi Beach, it’s everywhere and it’s here. It’s not just in conservative spaces but in progressive spaces that we’re facing challenges.”
Salomon appreciated the presence of other officials, saying it eased the isolation Jewish leaders sometimes feel: “This is a first. I appreciate it. It means a lot. So, thank you for your allyship.”
Other attendees included Lynnwood City Council President Nick Coelho, Edmonds Councilman Will Chen, Edmonds Councilwoman Vivian Olson, Gold Bar Mayor Steve Yarbrough, and Everett City Councilman Ben Zarlingo. Mayors from nearby cities of Brier, Mukilteo, and Lake Stevens were unable to attend but shared their solidarity with the Jewish Community privately with Rabbi Paltiel.
As dusk fell, Paltiel lit the nine-foot menorah, commemorating the miracle of oil that lasted eight days in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple in 139 BCE. He led the crowd in the traditional blessings before the lighting:
“Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm ah-sher ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr kha-noo-kah,” which translates to: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.”
“Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-ah-sah nee-sim lah-ah-voh-tay-noo bah-yah-mim hah-haym biz-mahn hah-zeh,” meaning: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.”
The crowd then sang “Oseh Shalom,” a prayer for peace, creating what Paltiel called a “moment of good noise” in honor of the Bondi Beach victims.
Festivities included music by Andy Kaplan on fiddle and keyboard, with vocals and guitar by Rabbi Shimon Emlen. Guests savored sufganiyot jelly doughnuts, apple cider, and hot chocolate. A South County Fire ladder truck thrilled children with a “Gelt Drop,” raining chocolate coins from above.
Incoming Lynnwood City Councilwoman Isabel Mata, one of the city’s two newly elected council members of Jewish heritage, described lighting Hanukkah candles each night as a way to bring light into the world.
“I like what the rabbi said about fear…evil is like the absence of light,” Mata said. “And every Hanukkah, every night, you light a candle, and you bring that light to the world. And I think that’s really special and what we all need right now…. We’re not going to be afraid.”
The Lynnwood lighting is part of a global Chabad initiative started in 1973 by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson to publicize the Hanukkah miracle. Today, Chabad sponsors more than 15,000 public menorahs in over 100 countries. These displays have transformed the holiday’s observance in American and Jewish cultural life.
“We’re here standing proud and loud with light, with joy, with unity,” Rabbi Paltiel said thanking everyone for attending Lynnwood’s 14th Menorah Lighting Ceremony.
Author: Mario Lotmore
