Light up Gaza-Hanukkah Celebration Fundraiser

Dec 16, 2017 Dr. Gabor Mate and Chief Phil Lane Jr. lit Hanukkah Candles together, in honor, support, and dedication, to the struggles of Indigenous Peoples, past and present, here and everywhere, who are resisting colonialism and foreign domination​.

This Fifth Night of Hanukkah Celebration was hosted by the Independent Jewish Voices of Vancouver and was highlighted by the “ Light Up the Dark in Gaza” Fundraiser.

Dr. Mate and Chief Lane shared insightful and healing messages, regarding the ongoing impacts of Colonialism and Intergenerational Trauma. They both emphasized that if we do not heal our hurt and trauma, individually and collectively, we may end up inflicting our unresolved pain and abuse on others!

The “ Light Up the Dark in Gaza” Fundraising purpose is to buy small solar lights for members of our Human Family living in the dark in Gaza. Rabbi David Mivasair shared one of the current harsh realities being faced by the people of Gaza.

“Israel bombed and destroyed their only electrical generating system in 2014, haven’t allowed repairs. People in Gaza have to get all their electricity by buying it from Israel. They have an average of 3-4 hours of electricity a day. There are two million people in Gaza who are living in the dark each night.”

Rabbi Mivasair continued: “The way we celebrate Hanukkah, in Jewish communities around the world, is by lighting candles, it’s like bringing light into the dark. So our group, Independent Jewish Voices Vancouver feels to make this very meaningful and relevant in our time, is to help other Members of our Human Family, who are struggling against foreign domination, while being forced to live in the dark. That is what is happening to the Palestinian people.”

At the Hanukkah Celebration, organized and facilitated by Sarah MacKenzie of the Haida Nation, five candles were lit and dedicated to five issues facing our Human Family.
One candle was lit and dedicated by Gaza resident, Omar Mansour, whose family is among the hundreds of thousands coping with the darkness every night. A second candle was lit by Jack Gates, Haida Nation, and dedicated to the healing of all members of the Human Family suffering from intergenerational trauma, addictions and poverty in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and beyond.

Ms. Hilla Kerner lit the third candle, dedicated to ending sexual violence against women. Ms. Kerner is a member of the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter and former Executive Director of the Association of Rape Crisis Centres in Israel.

Long-time defenders of the Environment, especially the Salish Sea, as well as Human Rights, Yvon and Valerie Raoul lit the fourth candle, dedicated to actualizing Environmental and Social Justice in British Columbia and around the world.

The fifth candle was lit by Dr. Mate and Chief Lane and dedicated to the resolution of the struggles of Indigenous Peoples, past and present, here and everywhere, who are resisting colonialism and foreign domination​.

"We will be victorious not through Assimilation, Resignation, or Conflict, but through a Spiritual Path of healing up old wounds, rebuilding broken trusts, interfaith cooperation, reconciliation and ultimate forgiveness. Through the Grace and Love of our Ever-Abiding Creator, the Promised Day, not to be followed by night, is now rapidly unfolding! " said Chief Lane.