The fifth candle lighting ceremony of Hanukkah was held at the National Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl this evening (Thursday), in a moving and special occasion, when the menorah used for lighting it arrived from Gaza.
The menorah, which was lit in Palestine Square in Gaza by soldiers of the 401st Brigade a year ago, made its way to the Memorial Hall carrying with it a message of light, memory and connection.
The candles were lit using a memorial torch that has been passed in recent days on a route of emissaries among bereaved families from various sectors across the country - and arrived at the Hall as a symbol of the shared path of Israeli society in dealing with bereavement and hope.
Deputy Director General and Head of the Families, Commemoration and Heritage Division at the Ministry of Defense, Aryeh Mualem, said that the ceremony is an expression of the encounter between personal mourning and national memory, and the shared commitment to continue to shine, even from the darkness.
"On this evening, the fifth candle of Hanukkah, we choose to increase the light. Not to deny the darkness but to stand against it together. Family to family. Person to person. People to people," he said.