Hanukkah 2023: Eight wishes to hope for amid ongoing darkness - comment

Hanukkah is a holiday of hope in a period of despair and darkness, taking on even more meaning this year as war rages with Hamas. In the spirit of candle lighting and making wishes, here are eight dreams I pray can come true this holiday season.

Hostages home 

Disturbingly, it is not just a matter of being held by the Hamas terrorist organization; there are distressing reports of torture based on the testimonies of those who have been let free.

Earlier this week, the hostages met with the Security Cabinet. They told its members the following:

“I thought I was going to die; I wanted to be shot.”

“I was dehydrated for 51 days; they didn’t give us water; they are inhumane.”

“They shaved off all of dad’s body hair to humiliate him.”

“They dressed us in hijabs and head coverings so that Israel wouldn’t distinguish us from them.”

“They don’t have another second; their lives are in danger there in the Hamas tunnels.”

Dr. Zeev Feldman, director of the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Sheba Medical Center, said Hamas is holding the hostages in inhumane conditions that have already caused the death of some of them. In addition, they forced the released hostages to take sedatives when they were transferred to Israel so that they would appear happy for the media. 

Feldman criticized Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, for her visit to Gaza without insisting on seeing the hostages, thus neglecting the fundamental principles of humanitarianism. 

Instead of relying on Red Cross visits in Gaza, let’s get them out of the terror enclave. 

War over, Hamas destroyed 

After a month-long ground offensive and two months of war, it seems that Israel is still far from achieving its military objective: the destruction of Hamas and ousting it from the Gaza Strip. 

“The total destruction of Hamas? Does anybody think that’s possible?” asked French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. “If it’s that, the war will last 10 years.”

Hamas is believed to have between 27,000 and 40,000 operatives, according to an article in The Washington Post. Israeli military officials have said between 5,000 and 6,000 have been killed. Moreover, many of Hamas’s top leaders live outside the Strip. And the organization receives maximum support in the West Bank, according to a recent survey. 

As the war wages on, not only is the international community becoming impatient, but the Israeli death toll is also rising. More than 75 soldiers have already been killed in battle. For perspective, 66 Israeli soldiers were killed in the Operation Protective Edge 2014 ground offense. Soon, Israelis will become impatient, too.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that overwhelming military force is the quickest way to end the Gaza war. What are we waiting for?

Peace with Saudi Arabia 

Just before October 7, it seemed that Israel and Saudi Arabia could sign a peace agreement on the White House lawn sometime this year. Now the question is whether Saudi Arabia would renew efforts toward normalization once the Israel-Hamas war has ended.

In a column for Time, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Dennis Ross, and Adam Boehler wrote: “A silver lining could eventually emerge from the shocking invasion of Israel by Hamas and the tragic slaughter of over 1,300 civilians. Despite Hamas’s intention to prevent wider Mideast peace from emerging from the Biden Administration’s effort to broker normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and Saudi’s mixed signals on their willingness to move forward, we believe a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia could yet take place and that Hamas’s murderous rampage could paradoxically accelerate regional peace once Hamas is defeated.”

Amen.

Political polarization no more

Before the infiltration by Hamas into Israel on October 7, resulting in the tragic loss of 1,200 lives, Israel grappled with an unprecedented internal conflict. Tensions between the Left and the Right, settlers and urbanites, as well as the religious and secular communities, had intensified, reaching a climax amid discussions about judicial overhaul.

As the country moves farther away from that fateful day, even as our soldiers continue to fight and hostages remain under enemy control, internal divisions are beginning to resurface, echoing in the current discourse.

In his Monday’s column for The Jerusalem Post, senior contributing editor Herb Keinon highlighted a notable juxtaposition: While Justice Ministry MK David Amsalem accused the Left of being “Bolsheviks who can’t see what’s in front of them” during a Likud faction meeting, former deputy chief of staff Dan Harel asserted to N12 that the conflict ignited because IDF troops were occupied defending settlers – all in the same week.

It’s ugly and dangerous, as demonstrated on October 7. We are one Jewish people residing in a singular Jewish state. Let’s not go back to pre-October 7. Now is the moment to embrace unity.

Stop antisemitism

Antisemitism was already skyrocketing before the October 7 massacre. The Anti-Defamation League has reported a nearly 400% increase in antisemitism since the start of the war. Similarly, according to Cyberwell, online antisemitism has surged by 86%.

Moreover, the National Security Council warned Israelis against traveling to 80 countries earlier this week as a result of unprecedented levels of terror and antisemitic threats. 

Antisemitism often surges in societies where democratic values are under threat. The global community must acknowledge and address this threat with the seriousness it warrants.

Gender equality

According to the OECD, despite advancements made over the years, men still tend to be overrepresented in management and leadership roles. Moreover, men still earn more than women to do the same job. 

According to the latest OECD statistics, the gender wage gap was 11.9% on average across the OECD, meaning a woman working full time makes around 88 cents for every dollar a man makes. 

Israel’s wage disparity exceeds the OECD average and has been on an upward trajectory over the last decade, according to a research paper from Shoresh published last year. The study reveals a significant gender gap in monthly wages for employees at the initial stages of their careers, reaching up to 33%.

This situation is despite the enactment of an amendment to the Male and Female Workers (Equal Pay) Law in June 2022, which mandates employers with over 518 employees and public companies to compile and disclose reports on gender wage disparities within their organizations.

Isn’t it time to acknowledge individuals based on their skills and contributions rather than their physical size and body attributes?

Economic restoration

The pandemic slammed the economy and continues to do so, and economists are already projecting that global growth in 2024 will be lower than in 2023.

While Israel had thought it had beaten the COVID-19 downturn, the beginning of 2023 showed a slight decline. Now, with the war, the Finance Ministry said that Israel’s economy is expected to grow only 2% this year – down from a projected 2.7%.

A robust economy is the cornerstone for providing quality healthcare, education, and social services in any country. Moreover, it plays a pivotal role in enabling affluent countries to assist in developing those still in the process of advancement. Here’s to anticipating brighter days ahead.

Climate action now

Despite greenhouse gas emissions reaching unprecedented levels, there is still ongoing construction of coal-fired power stations, accompanied by a troubling increase in subsidies for fossil fuel usage. 

Both in Israel and on a global scale, countries are failing to meet their Paris Agreement goals, leading to an escalating rise in temperatures worldwide. Recent reports indicate that the average global temperature for 2023 is expected to exceed the average for 1850–1900 by 1.4 °C. A study published in October in the journal Nature Climate Change further underscores the urgency, revealing that if current rates of greenhouse gas emissions persist, the critical 1.5 °C threshold will be breached in approximately six years.

Climate change is a reality, and humans cause it. It is, therefore, an individual’s mandate to fight against climate change. Walk instead of drive when going somewhere close. Turn off lights when you are not using them. Eat locally grown produce and less red meat. Recycle and repurpose.

In Israel, this means passing the Climate Law as soon as the war against Hamas is over. The world is burning – it’s time to start quelling the fire. 

The writer is deputy CEO of strategy and innovation for The Jerusalem Post and senior correspondent. She also co-hosts the Inside Israeli Innovation podcast.