The US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, lit the second candle of Hanukkah on Wednesday night at the Western Wall.

Friedman congratulated President Donald Trump and the entire US government and said, "I wish everyone a happy Hanukkah. A holiday of light, of blessing, of joy and of peace. "

"More than two thousand years ago, the Second Temple was conquered by King Antiochus of the Greek kingdom. He forbade the service of the Temple and did much to cause the Jewish religion to disappear. Against him arose a small group of courageous Jews from Modi'in, not far from here, and rebelled against the Greek monarchy. "the ambassador said.

He added, "They inaugurated the Temple and returned the Temple service to Jerusalem. In the memory of that great victory the Hasmoneans established the eight days of Hanukkah.If my account is correct, everything happened two thousand one hundred and eighty-four years ago, and it happened only a few meters from where I stand now. It is a great honor for me, and I am very excited to stand here in this holy place and light the second candle of Hanukkah in Jerusalem - the capital of the State of Israel. "

Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, Rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office MK Michael Oren, also participated in the candle lighting.

Minister Levin thanked the US President and Ambassador Friedman for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, noting that "the essence of Jerusalem is the important thing and everything must be done to build it physically and spiritually."

During Hanukkah, a special candle-lighting ceremony is taking place at the Western Wall in the presence of various public figures. The candle-lighting ceremony is broadcast live on the Western Wall Heritage Website and on its official Facebook page.