The 9 candles of the Chanukiah have been lit up on the western sails of the Sydney Opera House for Chunukah.
Chanukah, more commonly known as Hanukkah, is an 8-day Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of the city of Jerusalem & the subsequent rededication of the 2nd Temple in 164 BCE. Though it is of major cultural significance to Jewish people, it is actually a relatively minor holiday in strictly religious terms. Tonight is the 2nd night of Chanukah.
The Chanukiah, more commonly known as a hanukkiah, is simply a candlestick/ menorah, with 9 branches, which is used during Chanukah.
It is told in the Talmud Bavli (‘Babylonian Study‘) that during the 2nd Temple’s rededication, its menorah, a 7-branched candlestick, needed to burn for 8 nights. However, only a single small jar of olive oil, with an unbroken seal, was found throughout all of Jerusalem – enough to last only 1 night. The oil, nevertheless, is said to have lasted all required 8 nights, constituting a miracle, which is celebrated & symbolised to this day in the festival of Chanukah.
The middle branch of the Chanukiah, called the ‘shamash’ (‘helper’), is used each night of Chanukah to light 1 more candle than the previous night out of the remaining branches until all are lit. Each of these 8 other candles represent each night of Chanukah.
The Chanukiah is one of the most widely produced & iconic objects of Jewish ritual art.
Tonight, I made the decision to light the Sydney Opera House with candles on the menorah, marking the 2nd day of Chanukah.
Lighting the Opera House is a simple but powerful gesture: a message to the world that we cherish our Jewish community, that we honour their courage & that we stand with them in solidarity and love.
Tonight, those candles are a symbol of resilience & a reminder that even in darkness, we choose to stand with one another.
Chris Minns, NSW Premier
The projection comes a day after a Jewish genocide, by gunfire, at Sydney’s iconic suburb of Bondi Beach killed 15 people at the Chanukah By The Sea event, held at Archer Park, as well as killing bystanders & injuring other members of the public including police officers and other brave local heroes who tried to stop the shooting, in what is now being seen as an act of terrorism.
Terrorism is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. In this case, the terrorists seemed to seek to establish a global institution to return to the traditions of the first 3 generations of Muslims, under the leadership of an Islamic ruler who is considered a successor to Muhammad, in this case, through his closest companion, Abu Bakr. This is evidenced by 2 homemade flags of the Islamic State, who have this aim, being found in the terrorists’ car.
A genocide is any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
- Killing group members
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to group members
- Deliberately inflicting on the group life conditions calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Genocide can be punished with up to life imprisonment under international law while terrorism is punished with life imprisonment in Australia.
In a post on social media, the Sydney Opera House honoured the victims & sent their “deepest” condolences to everyone affected.
Sydney Spectaculars does not expect the upcoming major events, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race & Sydney New Year’s Eve to be cancelled despite the significant circumstances.
Amid a heightened concern & a mourning period, the projection of the Chanukiah drew praise from Jewish leaders and community members.
As this projection is for Chanukah rather than as a projection in remembrance of the victims of the massacre & Jewish genocide, Sydney Spectaculars is considering this projection as a ‘Spectacular‘.
However, in 2014, Sydney New Year’s Eve was announced to have projections of flowers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons in remembrance to the 2 victims of the Lindt Cafe siege, though no photographic/video footage of the projections is known to exist, thus we are unable to confirm it actually happened in the end. It is expected the City Of Sydney will announce a similar measure to be implemented in due course.
Sydney Spectaculars has reached out to the City Of Sydney.
More to come.
Sydney Spectaculars 