Bonnie and Chuck Berk's Chanukah Message for 2023

Hanukkah is a perfect time for us to step back, especially in these troubled times, and think about re-dedicating ourselves to higher aspirations. Who would have thought that in our lifetime we’d experience a massacre that could be compared with the Holocaust … or antisemitism on such a large scale. Hanukkah prompts us to reflect on our people’s quest over thousands of years for freedom and human dignity and it reminds us of our values and what our responsibilities are to our friends, family, and fellow men. We just returned from visiting our children and grandchildren in Colorado and we felt it our obligation to sit with them and reinforce and educate them about Israel’s history and why it’s crucial for us to embrace Israel. We bought each of them an Israel Bond, a way to show support and connect with our tradition.

As Jews, we have an obligation to be a light unto the world by stressing the teachings, or “light” of the Torah and doing Mitzvahs, but we also have a duty to bring light to others who may walk in darkness.

Chuck Berk is local co-chair of the Republican Jewish Coalition with his wife, Bonnie.