While the coronavirus pandemic has caused the cancellation of many events and prohibited gatherings, it didn’t stop The Jewish Agency from celebrating Hanukkah. Together with our Shlichim serving in Jewish communities all over the world, holiday happenings were safely planned despite COVID-19, sharing light and joy as far as possible.

Michal, a Shlichah (female Israeli emissary) in France, was realistic about what the community would be able to do given the restrictive measures in place. But festivities happened virtually with a number of community-wide online events including cooking workshops and a live candle-lighting in collaboration with young Jews in Israel.

Oded is the coordinator of Campus Israel Fellows in Europe and is based in London. Typically, the Fellows celebrate with college students by lighting candles on campus. This year, due to the pandemic, they lit together with students from all over Europe through the computer.

“We still did a few outdoor activities together with the ShinShinim (gap-year Israeli emissaries) and the Tzofim (Israeli Scout) tribe in London,” said Oded. “Although the air is cold here, the heat of the holiday kept us warm indoors and outdoors as we celebrated!”

Elsewhere, the ShinShinim in Los Angeles and San Diego put together Hanukkah boxes for their communities’ families to enjoy at home. And the ShinShinim in Budapest held a joint virtual Hanukkah party for teens with the community’s matched Partnership2Gether city, Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, The Jewish Agency office arranged a special “Quest in a Box” activity for kids that took place online. Each participant personally received a “box of surprises” at their home full of educational materials, menorahs and dreidels that were used in the interactive activity for young participants and their parents.

Another online Hanukkah event planned by The Jewish Agency in Moscow was the Moscow Jewish Salon, a meeting attended by representatives of the various Jewish communities and organizations in the city. It was the third lighting of candles in which rabbis from different streams lit the menorahs together. The first menorah was lit by the incoming Israeli Ambassador Alex Ben Zvi.

“Though the shadow of COVID-19 is large, it didn’t stop us from celebrating Hanukkah,” said Blina, a Moscow Shlichah. “It just forced us to be creative and turn to online celebrations.”

View some of the amazing Hanukkah photo submissions we received from around the world here.

Happy Hanukkah!