Fourth Candle of Chanukah at the Western Wall Lit By Families of MDA Heroes

This evening (Sunday), the lighting ceremony for the fourth night of Chanuka took place at the Western Wall, attended by the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; US Ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew; Health Minister Rabbi Uriel Busso; Western Wall Heritage Foundation director Suli Eliav; Magen David Adom director Eli Bin, and MDA volunteers.

Also present were the families of three heroic Magen David Adom volunteers who were murdered sanctifying the name of God during life-saving operations. The families of Amit Man, a paramedic who was on call on Kibbutz Be’eri, Avi’a Hatzroni, a senior medic from Kibbutz Be’eri, and Aharon Haimov, an emergency medical technician who treated the wounded, were among those who participated. May G-d avenge their deaths.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz stated, “We are blessed with a long historical memory. Our memory does not begin with our birth nor end with our death. In every generation, a person must see themselves as if they personally left Egypt, escaped the massacre of Haman in Persia, and kindled the menorah in the Temple with Judah the Maccabee. We will never forget the steadfast stance of the United States to the right of Israel during this dark hour in Jewish history; you chose to stand on the side of light and justice. We will never forget the enlistment and dedication of the volunteers in the nation’s difficult hour. You healed not only the wounds of the body but also the wounds of the soul.”

The candle-lighting ceremony will take place every evening during Chanuka at 4:30pm at the Western Wall Plaza and will be broadcast live on the Western Wall website www.thekotel.org .

Photo credit: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation