On the roof of the Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot, a Hanukkah menorah built out of rocket fragments is lit up.
Sderot, located on the Israel-Gaza border, has suffered thousands of rocket attacks since 2005, when Israel pulled its citizens and soldiers out of Gaza, handing it over to terrorists.
The Hanukkah menorah lighting was an initiative of the yeshiva, and attended by many of the city's residents, as well as MK Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) and Nava, the mother of fallen soldier Amit Ben Yigal.
Ben Yigal's mother moved the audience as she spoke about the direct connection between Amit's bravery and the Hanukkah story. According to her, "Bravery cost him his life, but turned him into a symbol of light in the world."
MK Smotrich spoke about the yeshiva's graduates, who become soldiers and commanders in the IDF, and whose Torah learning leads them to find the bravery needed in the battlefield.
Rabbi Dror Aryeh, who works at the yeshiva, said, "This Hanukkah menorah is 'made in Gaza.' We took the destruction and the darkness that they wished for us, and using it, we lit lights, the light of the city of Sderot, the light of Amit Ben Yigal, which burns within each of us, and the light of Israeli bravery."