December 14, 2025 24 Kislev 5786 As Alexis and I settle in to light our first Hanukkah candles as a married couple, our hearts ache in the aftermath of two mass shootings - one at Brown University, and another at a Jewish gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The latter was yet another horrific terrorist attack in which Jews were targeted solely because they were Jewish. As we light our menorah tonight, we hold the victims and their families close. We are praying for those who are injured, mourning those whose lives were taken in such senseless violence, and grieving with communities shattered by hate. Alexis is Jewish, and I am Christian. Together, and alongside people of faith across the world, we share a painful truth: horrific things do happen. Darkness does come. Wretched evil does exist. The violence of this weekend is meant to strike fear into the hearts of those who will kindle their menorahs tonight. Religious violence is rising, and antisemitism, both here in the United States and around the world, including in Australia, is surging in particularly horrific and too often violent ways. But Hanukkah calls us to resist fear. Happy Hanukkah. May the spirit of this holiday - the improbable victory of the Maccabees, and the oil that burned for eight nights - inspire us now. Perhaps the true miracle of Hanukkah is that more than 2,000 years later, despite horrors, pogroms, the Holocaust, and ongoing hatred, the Jewish people still create light. Still make latkes. Still spin dreidels. Still sing defiant songs of joy. Still gather, still love, still hope. Each time we choose light over darkness, we become part of the ongoing miracle of Hanukkah. From our new family to yours, we wish you a meaningful and joyful Hanukkah. And we hold you in our prayers for peace. Alexis and Cory