Hilton Head Jews won’t let hate define them. Hanukkah celebration isn’t muted by Israel-Hamas War

Deborah Urato’s niece wasn’t standing next to her at Hilton Head Island’s Lowcountry Celebration Park, listening to a band play “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah.” Her niece wasn’t eating the warm latkes from aluminum tins or sugary-sweet sufganiyot.

She’s thousands of miles away at the Israel-Lebanon border, at the front line in the Israel-Hamas War. Urato’s daughter and six granddaughters are in Israel too, just east of Tel Aviv.

This year Hannukkah is taking on added meaning for Urato and Hilton Head’s Jewish community, but they’re not muting their holiday celebrations despite grief over the war, concern for those in Israel and growing threat of antisemitic violence. At a time when many U.S. Jews are choosing to par down their celebration, Hilton Head’s Jewish community isn’t letting fear or war define them. About 100 community members attended the second-annual town-sponsored menorah lighting ceremony and celebration, with added security compared to last year.

“(We’re) not hiding from the hatred and the antisemitism,” said Rabbi Brad Bloom, who serves Congregation Beth Yam. ”I will not take the bait and let everything I do be defined by their hatred of Israel.”

There wasn’t hiding on Thursday night. Mayor Alan Perry of Hilton Head helped light the menorah, symbolizing the first night of the festival, and then the celebration began. Town Council Members David Ames, Alex Brown and Steve Alfred also shared the stage. Attendees sang and danced to live music, took pictures with miniature-electric-blue menorahs and at the end of the night there weren’t any latkes left. Despite the celebration, attendees said the war was still on their minds and Congregation Beth Yam members passed out bracelets with Israeli soldiers’ names on them.

The Jewish community on Hilton Head has grown in recent years, according to Congregation Beth Yam President Joel Greene. He estimates there are about 1,500-2,000 families between Bluffton and Hilton Head.

“I think it goes to the spirit and the fact that we can all celebrate being Jews and have a community and not have a fear factor,” Greene said. He said he can’t fault other communities for canceling celebrations if they feel unsafe, but that isn’t the case on Hilton Head.

Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration marking the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 139 BCE after a small group of Jewish fighters recaptured it from occupying foreign forces. After recapturing the Temple, Jewish fighters found enough oil to burn for one day, but it miraculously burned for eight. This year, Hanukkah started Thursday night and will end December 15.

“Hanukkah, by Jewish standards, is a minor holiday,” said Urato, wearing menorah earrings. “It’s only gained big importance in the United States because of Christmas because it falls at the same time of the year.”

It’s not the Jewish equivalence of Christmas, and having public events like this one can help educate people about Judaism and foster community, according to Congregation Beth Yam Director of Family Engagement Rachel Pepin. She said one of the ways the Town made the Jewish community feel welcomed was by approaching them about the event, not the other way around.

After the menorah lighting, the congregation encouraged non-Jews to take part in Project Menorah and place Hanukkah menorahs in their windows as a way to signal solidarity with the Jewish community when antisemitism is on the rise.

“That’s what we have to do,” said Courtney Kaye while hugging her two daughters. Her high-school-aged daughter said she’s one of two Jewish girls in her high-school class. “Don’t be afraid to show up.”