 support for Ableton on Air, Green Mountain Support Services, to empower neighbors with disabilities to be home in the community. Major support also includes Washington County Mental Health, where hope and support come together. Out of Vermont's menorah lighting at the state Capitol, I'd really like to welcome all of our guests. Happy Hanukkah! Happy Hanukkah! As we all know, to remember the miracle of Hanukkah, the sages institute the mitzvah of kindling the menorah. However, this needs to be understood. The miracle of the oil, it would seem, is of lesser significance in the military victory. While we focus on the oil, why do we focus on the oil and not the military victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks? The answer allows us to appreciate the essential ingredient that has defined 4,000 years of Jewish history. The military victory was indeed extraordinary, yet it did not last. Just 210 years after the Hanukkah story, the Romans overthrew the Jewish government, and Jerusalem was plundered, Israel was decimated, and the Jewish people were sent into exile. This is the beginning of the exile that we're still in. A period of Jewish powerlessness, dispersion and persecution, and has lasted almost two millennia. And as we said, we're still in this exile, mentally and also as much as physically. Unfortunately, the political and military victory of Hanukkah did not last. What lasted was a spiritual miracle. The Jewish faith, like the oil, is inextinguishable. Strength founded on military power alone is temporary. It may endure for long periods of time, but ultimately it will be defeated by a greater power. On the other hand, strength founded on a spiritual light of Torah mitzvot, on good deeds of goodness and kindness, a trust in God can never be destroyed. The sages who instituted the celebration of the Hanukkah holiday keenly understood this truth. With their eyes focused on eternity, the rabbis of the Second Temple era grasped that the timeless core of Hanukkah was not the victory of the battlefield alone, but rather the military triumph that led to the rekindling of the sacred light and the moral torch. Surely the military victory was an enormous, significant event, which we are deeply grateful. Yet what makes Hanukkah a vibrant and a heartwarming holiday still today, 2,100 years later, in Montpelier, in Middlebury, in Brattleboro, in Manchester, in Bennington, in St. Albans, in Shelburne, in Jericho, in Virgins and Bristol, in South Burlington, of course in Jerusalem, is the little cruise of oil that would not cease casting its light and brightness even in the darkest of nights and amongst the strongest of winds. We are forever grateful to the United States of America, a country who has granted us freedom to celebrate Hanukkah openly and with public menorah lightings at state capitals. For more than two millennia, with the onset of the Hanukkah holiday, Jewish families have gathered around their menorahs, seeing their children's faces aglow with a timeless joy. As they gaze at the dancing flames, they can hear the flickering candles sharing their story, a story with a penetrating punchline, the faith, the flame of the Jewish faith, the flame of Torah, the flame of Mitzvot, the flame of doing deeds of goodness and kindness to your neighbor and those who you don't even know, and the light to redemption that will never be extinguished. We have a short program for you all here today. My name is Rabbi Benjamin Murray from Middlebury. We have Chabad of Middlebury there, and we have a few short speakers we like in the menorah, and then everyone's welcome to join us inside for hot latkes and donuts. My mom's the folks that I... It's beautiful. My wife and David and I have some dear friends here in Montpelier. David and Toby run the Yearning for Learning Center, and one of our visiting rabbinical students for the holiday of Hanukkah actually studied with Rabbi Sholem Brot, who was a teacher here from Jerusalem who had come to the Yearning and Learning Center very often occasions to teach Torah, and I'm pleased to welcome Toby to the microphone. Thank you. Thank you, Benjamin. I would like to sincerely thank Governor Phil Scott, Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman and Mayor Anne Watson, and the entire Statehouse staff for welcoming the Jewish community tonight at the Statehouse on the second night of Hanukkah. As Benjamin said, I am Rabbi Toby Wiseman, I direct the Yearning for Learning Center for Jewish Studies in Montpelier, and I'm also the program director for the PJ Library in Vermont. The name Hanukkah means rededication. We commemorate the miracle of over 2,000 years ago. After three years fighting for our religious freedom, Jews were able to rededicate the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and light the menorah again. Hanukkah also comes from the Hebrew word Chinuch, which means education, and our rabbis teach us not to focus as Benjamin was saying on the miraculous military victory, but on the spiritual one, where one cruise of pure oil was found to light the menorah and instead of lasting for one day, it lasted for eight days. The hidden oil that was found represents the hidden, infinite light that resides within each of us. Hanukkah teaches us that the most important thing that we can teach ourselves and our children is that each person has an infinite, unique, pure light within them. We all need to be able to share our own unique light and we need to lift each other up to be able to share our own light. As we light the menorah tonight and each night of Hanukkah, let us see the light reflected in ourselves and each other and visualize a time of peace for all people in our day. Thank you so much. We'd like to welcome the mayor of Montpelier, Mayor Watson, to the podium. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. And happy Hanukkah. My name is Anne Watson. I'm the mayor of Montpelier and I'm delighted to welcome you to Montpelier and to be celebrating with you this evening. During this time of darkness, in what feels like a particularly dark year, it seems especially important to take some time to recognize the light and the goodness within each of us, giving us hope and inspiration to carry on. It's a part of human nature to focus on the darkness. It's easy to lose sight of the good things happening in the world around us, the repair of the world that's going on. So we must make space in our hearts and minds to intentionally recognize the light and the repair going on in the world so that we can see how we can be a part of that healing as well. We must make space to take care of ourselves and to take care of those closest to us if we hope to be in a healthy spot from which we can reach out and care for a broken world. That light within each of us takes tending, self-reflection and sometimes adjustment as we learn to trust God and sometimes we could all use a little encouragement. Who has been light in your life lately? Do they know what encouragement they are to you? Is there a way you can let them know that you are grateful for them? Just as deep calls out to deep, so the light in each of us recognizes the light in each other as well. May your house be full of peace and warmth this Hanukkah and on into the new year. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mayor. I have another dear friend here, David Zakerman, who was a neighbor of his for a short time. I'd like to welcome you to the podium, please. Thank you, Benjamin. Last year, I think when I spoke here, I reflected on my father's influence on my life growing up in Brookline and the culture and the spirituality of Judaism and the goodness that is in our people and the wish not only to expand upon our own support for each other, but having lived through and culturally lived through the persecution that we partly reflect on tonight, that we recognize that nobody should be persecuted for their religion and their values. And today, I am here, sadly, for the first round of holidays, now also without my mother. And so as this season is upon us, I reflect a lot about her influence also on me and how our parents, our wise elders as parents and grandparents pass on these traditions, pass on our values and teach us about that light that Mayor Watson was talking about and the light that we can be for others and that each one of us is and daily can be in how we carry ourselves with our neighbors and both our friends and the folks we do not know that we pass on the street and how lucky we are in Vermont that when we pass each other on the street, we smile, we share good wishes, and we express and hope for peace for everyone. And so I will reflect on that tonight and over the next many days as we light the candles and I hope everyone will as well. Thank you, Benjamin. Thank you so much, David. I would like to invite Governor Scott off to the podium to share a few words. Good evening. What a beautiful night tonight as opposed to maybe a year ago when it was about 15 degrees. So it's very much a pleasure for me to be here amongst all of you tonight. I'm grateful for the opportunity to join you as we celebrate the second night of Hanukkah. Now this is the seventh year we've lit the menorah here at the State House and it's always a great opportunity to get together in solidarity and appreciation for the diverse community we all know and love here in Vermont as we celebrate this special holiday at the most beautiful State House in the United States. Here tonight we recall Hanukkah's lessons. How any group, no matter how small, can make a big difference. How a little bit can go a long way like a small amount of oil which is shown for eight nights. It reminds us that even when resources are limited, faith and community can help us find the best of ourselves and of each other and make the most of what we have. I think the message of Hanukkah can speak to all Vermonters. The menorah's light inspires us to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Even when our country may seem so divided, so much more divided than ever and to know that good can emerge even in the darkest of hours. It's also a good time of year for each and every one of us to step back and reflect on how fortunate we really are and all the good that's going on around us. I believe the things we have in common as mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, friends and neighbors are what inspires us to do good. Vermonters are known for our deep appreciation for community and our commitment to the most vulnerable. We help each other out in times of need. For example, I'm going to give you an example of something that just happened Thanksgiving Day. The Ludlow Volunteer Fire Department answered a call for an oven fire. Once they arrived on the scene, they determined while there wasn't much damage, they had to inform a mother of three she couldn't use the oven until it was inspected. And remember, this was Thanksgiving Day. But instead of going back to their own families, the volunteer firefighters decided to take things into their own hands and go the extra mile. They ended up taking all her food back to the fire station, cooked it for her, and brought it back to her in time for dinner. This is just one example of many, of the sense of community Vermonters share and is part of what makes our state so special. So, while we light this menorah tonight, let us commit to doing good. Focus on what unites us instead of what divides us and be part of something much bigger than ourselves. And remember, let's remember the golden rule, to treat each other the way we want to be treated with respect and civility. So again, I thank you very much for having me here tonight, and I hope you have a very happy Hanukkah. Thank you. Thank you, Governor. We also have with us the Executive Director of the Jewish Communities of Vermont. He's a dear friend of mine from my days at UVM when she was the Executive Director of UVM Hillong. From Susan Leff to share a few words. Thank you. I'm honored to be here with you this evening at the State House to light a menorah, which is a pretty amazing thing. I'm going to say just a few words because there have been a lot of words said this evening. I want to remind you as that we light the menorah, that it reminds us that our job is to be a light in the world and to pass the light, as the shamus passes the light to the other lights, the helper candle. It's our job to bring light to the world and to pass the light along. Thank you, and happy Hanukkah. And I would also like to recognize Shauna Mar-Golan, who's here with us tonight. It's impromptu, but would you like to share a few words? I'm going to stand up. Thank you, I'm Rabbi Shauna Mar-Golan. And other women, Rabbi and Montpelier, there are many of us. And what I'd like to do is to sing the last verse of my very favorite Hanukkah song, which is called Light When Candle. So those of you who know it, please. And we have song sheet. We have song sheet. Well, great. Well, I'm going to do it from memory, unless there's a song sheet here. That would be good. Thank you. Light When Candle, yes. If you have a song sheet. Yes, it doesn't have the last verse. Okay. So we'll do the first verse of Light When Candle. Light One Candle For the Maccabee Children Give thanks that their light didn't die Light One Candle For the pain they endured When their right to exist was denied For the terrible sacrifice Justice and freedom It's lasted for so long. I want to say, I do want to sing the last, the last couple of lines. We have come this far That justice will some Susan shared a very important mission about, brought up a very important point about the importance of being a lamp lighter, which is something that Hanukkah represents. I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome Rabbi Raskin, the regional director of Chabad Chlubavich in Vermont to the podium to share a few remarks. Happy Hanukkah. First of all, thank you, Benyamin, for being the MC and Governor Scott, Governor David and Mayor and Susan. I also want to recognize one of the Chabad Rabbis that came all the way from Manchester, Vermont. Menachem and his family. Welcome. Quite a few years ago, I had the privilege of listening to a talk that the Chabad Chlubavich of less memory gave Abah Hanukkah. And he said this interesting point I think I've repeated many times. And that is, we know when we have dirt on the floor, we get rid of the dirt with a broom. Take a broom, sweep the dirt. But here's something very interesting. Darkness, you cannot sweep away with a broom. The only way you could get rid of darkness or change the situation is by bringing in light. In other words, we may be saying and screaming and talking about darkness, negative and things like this, but it's the only way to really change the situation. If we ourselves, we do something positive. And when we do positive, that changes the situation. In a deep sense, that is the message of Hanukkah. Because throughout Jewish history we have a lot of different holidays and we celebrate them different ways. We know we eat the matze on Passover and we eat in the sukkah in Sukkot. Different things that we do. On Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar. Yom Kippah we fast. Here's very interesting. How was it decided by our sages going back over 2200 years ago is by lighting candles, lighting a menorah to increase light. So this is number one. Number one is because we know light is also connected with spirituality and this is something from all the other things. We are going to have food because there cannot be a Jewish event without food. It doesn't work. So there's no question. We're going to have latkes, we're going to have donuts and that's the way it is. But we're going to say the blessings on the menorah and light the candles to increase light. And one more point. Here's different. Something else that we do different than any other holiday. Last night was the first candle. Tonight will be the second one. Tomorrow the third. Till the eight days of Hanukkah by the eight day will be eight candles. Here's an interesting message. We increase. We got comfortable one day with one light. Okay, so we all could go already on vacation. We're also excited. We got one light going. No, second night, second light. And tomorrow a third light. It gives us a very important message about increasing, not to be satisfied, but to keep on going and going. So as the governor was mentioning before a special story about Vermont, I could tell you from experience being here with my family in Burlington from 1984. I could tell you this is a very, very special state. We see the openness and the love that exists between each one of us. And that should continue. And we should be able to be a message for the rest of the country. And the lights of Hanukkah should shine forever. And we should be able to increase in positive and bring more and more lights into ourselves, into our homes, into our environment. Happy Hanukkah! So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Rabbi Raskin and Habata Vermont for sponsoring this joyous event. And as was mentioned before, lighting of candles is a rededication. And the rabbi taught that the root of correcting society's ills is education. That there's a lot of children here today and that from teaching children from a young age that there's a creator in the world that you have a responsibility that each one of us has a very unique, tailor-made mission to improve the world. And no one else can complete that mission except for you and you. Only you could complete your mission. And we hope that these lightings and placings of the public minors spread light throughout the region. As the rabbi teaches, as Rabbi Raskin had said, it takes one light to illuminate and push away the darkness. I'd like to invite my dear friend David Freed to come up and light the menorah. I would like to invite the governor, the lieutenant governor and mayor to the menorah for the menorah lighting. Everyone's invited to come inside into the state house for a reception. And the children's program is hot lockers and donuts waiting for everyone. And before we go, Rabbi Raskin will lead my store. Jacob Schiller is here with his guitar. There's hot drinks, there's cold drinks, there's donuts and latkes and applesauce. And come on in. To support for Ableton on Air, Green Mountain supports services to empower neighbors with disabilities to be home in the community. Major support also includes Washington County Mental Health, where hope and support come together.