500+ American Jews Gather for “Chanukah for Ceasefire” Service Outside of White House
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2023
Contact:
press@ifnotnowmovement.org
500+ American Jews Gather for Candlelighting Service, Songs, and Prayer at “Chanukah for Ceasefire” Service outside of White House
Hundreds of DC-area Jewish activists, led by IfNotNow DC and JVP Metro DC, hold service outside of the official White House Chanukah party and call for a change in official policy towards the war in Gaza.
***Photos and videos available upon request***
WASHINGTON, DC – More than five hundred members of the local Jewish community and their allies brought their menorahs and candles to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on Monday evening to participate in a candle lighting service and vigil outside of the White House. The ongoing war on Gaza, now in its 10th week, provided a somber backdrop for this convening that marked the fifth night of the Jewish holiday of Chanukah.
Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) joined the vigil outside the White House and shared her words of support with the crowd. She said, “This Hanukkah, I am honored to be standing with my Jewish allies lighting candles to call for peace, and to say that every life is sacred. I am proud to join you in front of the White House tonight to come together in solidarity, to say that we choose life over death. We must commit to building cross-faith coalitions as we work towards equality, freedom, and justice for all.”
“This Chanukah, we light candles to bring light amidst the horror of the last two months, as we mourn loved ones in Palestine and Israel who have been killed, injured, or taken captive. While we honor the sacredness of every single human life, President Biden and Members of Congress are pushing for billions in unconditional weapons funding for Israel to continue committing war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. We need President Biden to push for an immediate ceasefire and hostage exchange to end Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza and lay the groundwork for a long-term political solution where Palestinians and Israelis can live in equality, justice, and safety.” said Eva Borgwardt, IfNotNow National Spokesperson.
Jewish neighbors and allies gathered in song and prayer outside the White House to mourn all of the lives lost since the brutal Hamas attack on October 7. They raised their voices to demand American political leaders do everything in their power to put an end to the war, including ending military aid to Israel, and to bring about a safe return of hostages. As the community-led candle lighting vigil proceeded outside, out-of-touch leaders from Jewish establishment organizations celebrated with President Joe Biden inside the White House without a note of concern for the approximately 18,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including the more than 7500 children who have been killed over the last 10 weeks.
“Chanukah reminds us of miracles. But we cannot and will not wait for a miracle. We must make it happen ourselves, and we will continue to take action to call on those in power to stop these massacres. We will not let them look away. We will come here again and again until they find the moral courage to call for a full and lasting ceasefire.” said Joanna Silver, a Jewish community member from Silver Spring, MD.
“Tonight, we came together to express our outrage that many of our elected leaders—like those celebrating inside the White House—see the sacredness of only some human lives. By enabling and excusing the massacre in Gaza, they disregard Palestinians’ vital flame of life. They harden their hearts and turn away from Palestinian suffering and grief. But we will not allow their flame to be put out.” said Ethan Miller, IfNotNow Board member and Maryland resident.
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