Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller's Chanukah Message for 2024

For our Chanukah holiday issue, we invited members of our community to share their responses.

The December dilemma used to refer to the dilemma that interfaith families faced when trying to decide how or if they would bring together Chanukah and Christmas in their home.

However, in the past five or so years, that’s not the dilemma I hear people discussing much anymore. Today, the question many grapple with is: Do we put our menorah in the window?

In today’s world, displaying a menorah in the window can require a bit of courage. I hope we all feel safe enough to show that courage, and my heart goes out to those who do not feel safe.

Our world is in desperate need of more light. As Jewish people, our purpose is to spread that light. I pray that we have built trust with our neighbors, who will love and watch out for us, so we can feel safe being who we are in our communities. And if you don’t know your neighbors, perhaps it’s time to introduce yourself.

This Chanukah, I invite you to join me in proudly displaying your menorah for all to see. Let’s bring the light.

Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller is one of the rabbis at Temple Emanu-El in Sandy Springs.