Dear Reader,

I’ve always enjoyed Chanukah, but I’m finding it particularly challenging this year. It’s hard to celebrate a holiday that extols Jewish military prowess while the military of a Jewish state destroys the Gaza Strip and the lives of the millions who live there. But Chanukah is also about Jewish innovation and transformation. The rabbis take a story about armed might and violence and turn it into a story about divine miracles and religious rebirth. In his commentary on the laws of Chanukah, the great medieval commentator Maimonides explains that a poor person should buy Shabbat candles rather than Chanukah candles in order to maintain peace in their home because the Torah’s purpose “is to bring peace upon the world.”

In this season of horrors, that goal may feel impossible. But just as Jews light Chanukah candles at the darkest time of the year, we at Jewish Currents believe we have an obligation to counter the moral darkness around us by supporting justice and freedom for Palestinians, and collective liberation for everyone between the river and the sea. We do that through deeply researched and beautifully crafted journalism and through bracingly honest conversations about Israel-Palestine and Jewish identity—conversations that the American Jewish establishment not only refuses to have, but often tries to quash.

At the heart of everything we do is our community of readers. Through this challenging year, we’ve been so inspired by the outpouring of support we’ve received from so many of you. Knowing how much our work means to you helps us carry on in such difficult times.

To continue that work, and to grow that community, we need your support. If you contribute through this holiday week, your gift will be matched by Jewish Currents board chairs Kathleen Peratis and Mark Egerman. Together, may we bring more light into this world.

Contribute today to ensure your gift is matched.

Thank you for your support,
Peter Beinart
Editor-at-Large