The Sderot Hesder Yeshiva on Tuesday evening held a Hanukkah event, which was attended by Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, the Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau and Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi. The guests took part in lighting Sderot's Hanukkah menorah made of Qassam rockets.
The Speaker of the Knesset said at the event that "the thought of the Maccabees who at the time entered an unclean place that turned into an idol-worshipping place and, instead of fleeing set a goal to purify and actually purified – returns again today."
"You took this unclean thing, this cursed thing, the Qassam that came to harm the innocent and turned it into a source of light for the city and the region. The Qassam menorah is lit here in Sderot for eight days during Hanukkah and has become known throughout the country, but it also shines a light of building and heroism all year round," Edelstein added.
He mentioned his personal story as it is related to Hanukkah. "I remember saying at my first torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl that it was the day on which I was released from [Russian] prison and I was celebrating independence twice. But it all started on the 26th of Kislev, the day on which I heard my sentence in court. At that time during Hanukkah I was in the netherworld and in the lowest places and, years later, I have the privilege to serve the public and the people of Israel."
"It’s a historic miracle that we are here and we say today: We are here to stay, to continue to build and develop. I wish for myself, for you and for all the residents of Sderot, that we will develop this ability to see the miracles and that we will grow for a better future," the Speaker of the Knesset concluded.