‘Light will overcome darkness’

WESTERN BUREAU:

Rabbi Yaakov Raskin, director of Chabad Jamaica Limited, has condemned what he described as a “despicable” and hate-driven attack on the global Jewish community, following a deadly shooting at a public Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, on the weekend.

The attack occurred on Sunday night, the first night of Hanukkah, as members of the Jewish community gathered openly to observe the Festival of Lights.

“The Jewish community worldwide was attacked physically in Australia. There was a Hanukkah festival ... [and] almost 2,000 people were celebrating when two evil, despicable, horrible animals – terrorists – took out huge guns, rifles, and just started shooting right and left,” Rabbi Raskin said, while speaking with The Gleaner on Monday.

At least 15 people were killed in the terror attack.

International media sources reported that New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon later confirmed that the suspects were a father and son – 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was killed at the scene, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who was taken into custody and remains in critical but stable condition in hospital. The elder Akram immigrated to Australia in 1998, while his son was born in the country.

The authorities have described the incident as Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades, recalling a massacre almost 30 years ago that led to the introduction of some of the world’s toughest gun control laws.

Among those killed were a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, and a young French national.

As of Monday, 27 people were being treated in hospitals across Sydney.

“There’s one reason why these terrorists did it – because they are Jewish,” Rabbi Raskin said.

He explained that Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Jewish Maccabees over the Greek army nearly 2,000 years ago and symbolises faith overcoming oppression.

“Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrating the victory of the Jewish people ... ,” he told The Gleaner. “Even though we were a minority, with the help of God we won.”

He recounted the central miracle of the holiday – the menorah in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem burning for eight days on a single jug of oil – and pointed to its enduring message.

“It’s called the Festival of Lights, and it’s a message that light will overcome darkness,” Rabbi Raskin said, drawing a parallel with Jamaica’s recent hardships.

“We are all recovering from Hurricane Melissa. We have challenges, but light will always win.”

Despite the scale of the tragedy, Rabbi Raskin said the Jewish community would not retreat into fear.

“We are beaten, we are shattered, but we’re not afraid. We will not respond by being afraid. We will rise like a lion – stronger, brighter, like the world has never seen,” he said. “We’re going to respond with light. We’re going to respond with kindness – not just to our community, but to everybody – because everybody is created in the image of God.”

He also highlighted an act of courage during the attack; “A Muslim man stopped one of the terrorists, tackled him down, and that man is my hero ... . He saved dozens, if not hundreds, of lives,” Rabbi Raskin said.

Turning to Jamaica, Rabbi Raskin reaffirmed Chabad’s commitment to humanitarian relief following hurricanes Beryl and Melissa.

“Since before Hurricane Melissa hit, we were already preparing our relief efforts ... . Jamaica was going to need a lot of help,” he said.

“We brought in one of the first medical planes right after the hurricane. We brought in two planes from the Cayman Islands, and we have already brought in two 40-foot containers, with more on the way,” he said, outlining the organisation’s response.

As part of ongoing recovery efforts, Rabbi Raskin announced a major fundraising concert set for 5 p.m. on Sunday, Decemebr 21.

“We are bringing a British platinum-award-winning singer, Alex Clare, who will be performing at King’s House,” he said.

“We’re asking everybody [to] stand up for the people of Jamaica. Jamaicans are resilient. Come support this concert so we can continue to raise funds to help the people in the west rebuild,” Rabbi Raskin urged.

“It’s going to be a beautiful evening,” Rabbi Raskin said. “The Hanukkah candles will continue to shine here in Jamaica.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com