Hanukkah Celebration

On Sunday night we were invited to attend a Hanukkah lighting ceremony, which was held outdoors in Heroe's Square in Budapest. It was a very moving sight to behold. It was absolutely freezing outside, but there was not a cloud in the sky and the air was crystal clear. When we arrived, there was already a fairly large crowd gathered and they were lighting torches. The entire area was surrounded by police and security. We made our way through the security and Larry went to grab us a few torches while we waited for our friend, Andi. We immediately saw several groups of the opposition which sent chills down my spine. There was a group not far from where Larry and I were standing - the police was between us and them. We lit our torches and then a rabbi climbed up the steps of the museum where we were all gathered and began giving the blessing in Hebrew. Then he spoke in Hungarian. That was followed by the "Hava Nagila" - which means "let us rejoice"! It was very moving to see the torches all lit up against the dark sky, while throngs of police and security placed a shield all around the group.

The was no violence! We know it could have turned out differently - it was expected to be so - so we are thankful for the shield of the Holy Spirit last night. It was sad to see the hatred of the opposition groups represented. It's heartbreaking to realize that after centuries and centuries of bloodshed and hatred of the Jews - God's chosen people - that it still continues today and is only going to increase as the days go by. We know it is a spiritual battle of course, but it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking.