JCPA: Light One Candle for the Rohingya People

The following statement was submitted by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). 

On the 6th night of Chanukah—Erev Shabbat, December 7th—we invite you to join JCPA, AJWS, and the Jewish Rohingya Justice Network and concerned Jews across the U.S. to unite in solidarity against the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people of Burma.

Chanukah calls us to stand up against religious persecution. As Jews and global citizens, we are all too familiar with the horrors of violence against religious and ethnic minorities—and we cannot stand idly by as this senseless brutality in Burma stretches into its second year. The crisis has forced more than 700,000 Rohingya people to flee to refugee camps in Bangladesh, leaving everything behind.

 

Join us by dedicating the 6th candle on the 6th night of Chanukah to the Rohingya people. Together, Jews will illuminate our support for the Rohingya people and share their stories for our communities to hear.

 

We have prepared a short reading that will make this dedication even more powerful. We encourage rabbis, educators and all people lighting menorahs nationwide to shine a light as we work to bring an end to this crisis. 

Click here to download the reading. 

Let’s raise a united Jewish voice in support of the Rohingya people. 

The Jewish Rohingya Justice Network is a consortium of Jewish NGOs advocating for the rights of the Rohingya. Members include: American Jewish Committee, American Jewish World Service, Anti-Defamation League, HIAS, JACOB, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jewish World Watch, Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, T’ruah and The Union for Reform Judaism. Allies: Foundation for Ethic Understanding, Hebrew College, The Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee, The New York Board of Rabbis, The Shalom Center and Uri L’Tzedek.