Under Secretary of State Jacob S. Helberg marked the conclusion of Hanukkah with a message on social media reflecting on the holiday’s meaning and the challenge of confronting rising antisemitism.
In a post published on X, Helberg wrote that Hanukkah serves as a reminder that “light is not an inevitability, but a deliberate, proactive act we must kindle year after year-not to negotiate with darkness, but to displace it.”
He noted that this principle has sustained the Jewish people for more than two millennia and remains relevant today, as antisemitism “creeps back from under the shadows.” Helberg warned against what he described as a growing tendency in modern society to equivocate for the sake of agreement, calling it “the great vice of the digital age.”
“There are times when true leadership requires the strength of principle more than the temporary comfort of consensus and accommodation,” Helberg wrote.
In his post, the Under Secretary also pointed to President Donald Trump’s leadership, saying that the President’s “longstanding moral clarity and consistency on the issues that matter provide the fortitude this moment demands.”
Helberg concluded his message with a reference to the enduring symbolism of Hanukkah, emphasizing the responsibility to actively uphold moral clarity and confront hatred rather than seek compromise with it.