American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) will hold 250 menorah lightings in all 50 states during Chanukah this year as part of a new initiative aimed at countering the “real darkness” of rising antisemitism and highlighting the Jewish community’s deep roots in American history shortly after the 250th birthday of the United States. 

“Even in times when we see real darkness, we should do what Jews ultimately need to do, which is to counter it with light,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad’s executive vice president, told Jewish Insider in an interview on Sunday. “An increased light dispels darkness more than any other method is what we have seen.”

Chanukah 250 will take place over all eight nights of Chanukah, Dec. 4 through Dec. 12, and is expected to feature appearances from leading Republican and Democratic political leaders. Shemtov said Chabad will finance the events, many of which are still being organized, and that the organization is also in talks with “with some significant organizational and philanthropic partners, who are showing real interest given the historic opportunities here.”

“We’re aiming to have 250 events in all 50 states, which will receive support including funding ranging in amounts and scope from security costs to logistics and organizational support,” Shemtov told JI. “I’d like to see as many governors, mayors and dignitaries as we can get to join.”

As part of the initiative, Shemtov said that organizers “intend to do a large-scale campaign to reach people everywhere from private homes to community centers to the public square. If we can reach a million points of light, which I think is doable if everybody works together, that would be something historic which people will remember.”

“I think that the message will be clear, relevant and hopefully very uplifting to Jews across America, so that they will now recall and hopefully reinforce within themselves this idea that America affords us unprecedented and unparalleled liberties as Jews,” Shemtov said. “Even though it has come with some very significant challenges in recent years, the perpetrators of hate today need to know that while they follow their predecessors in history, we intend to follow ours as well. With resilience and hope and faith, we will prevail over them once again.”

Shemtov argued that the Chanukah initiative was unique to other efforts to combat antisemitism because it served as a means to bring the Jewish community together through a common tradition and provided an opportunity to mark the centuries-long history of Jews in America. 

“We need to refresh the narrative, to remember that the story of Jews in America is not one of turn of the century or post-World War II refugees,” Shemtov said. “We were here at the very beginning, and Jewishly identified at that time. The founders of the United States not only had many Jewish values inculcated into the establishment of our nation, but also made accommodations and expressions early on to enable proud Jewish life and clear Jewish identity within a fully American life, and that’s a story that’s not being told enough.”

“As we celebrate the semi-quincentennial of the United States, we should also be amplifying the Jewish role in the establishment and defense of the United States, going back literally to when it was founded,” he continued. “Jews have supported, fought for, even died for America since its establishment. I think that this year’s Chanukah celebration is a very good opportunity for us to focus on and appreciate that in prominent celebrations across the country.”