For Parisian Jews, Celebrating Hanukkah Is a Miracle

This past year, Paris has seen more than its share of terror – beginning with the shootings at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper offices and a Jewish supermarket and continuing with the recent attacks that left 130 dead. These attacks and ongoing anti-Semitism against the country’s Jewish communities have left many French Jews in fear. But The Times of Israel’s Greg Scruggs reports on the hope these Jewish people are finding this Hanukkah, as they are still able to celebrate the Festival of Lights:

Heavily armed police officers mingled with parents pushing strollers and curious onlookers earlier this week as the Parisian Jewish community held its 27th annual Hanukkah menorah lighting at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

Following the November 13th terrorist attacks that paralyzed Paris, French authorities declared an “état d’urgence,” which on paper includes a ban on public gatherings. Call it a Hanukkah miracle, but despite the ongoing state of emergency, the Festival of Lights arrived in the City of Light.

“We are very happy that the police took into consideration the possibility of doing it and gave us the right permission,” said Rabbi Mendel Azimov, president of Chabad of Paris.