Official Lighting Ceremony of Sixth Hanukkah Candle Takes Place at Sofia Synagogue

Kaloyan Vassev

Central Synagogue in Sofia, December 30, 2024 (BTA Photo/Nikola Uzunov)

Sofia,

30.12.2024 21:21

(BTA)

With a message of peace and light, the official lighting ceremony of the sixth Hanukkah candle took place at the Central Synagogue in Sofia on Monday. The ceremony was attended by the Chair of the 51st National Assembly Nataliya Kiselova, Vice President Iliana Iotova, Deputy Foreign Minister Nevyana Miteva, as well as Israeli Ambassador to Bulgaria Yosef Levi Sfari. During the ceremony, the Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria Yoel Yifrach offered a prayer for Bulgaria, the Bulgarian people and the Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Kiselova lit the second candle during the ceremony. "Just a few days ago the Christian world celebrated Christmas - a holiday during which families come together, express their love for each other and share the joy of being together," Kiselova said, adding that the similarities between Christmas and Hanukkah show "the same values, hopes and desires for our children to live in a cosier and fairer world". She expressed sadness that there are more than a hundred hostages in Gaza. "We pray for peace, for hope, for a better future," she added, expressing hope of "brighter days ahead in which good will prevail over evil".

Iotova who lighted the third candle said that this solemn moment is an occasion for Bulgarians, to be proud their homeland is an example of how different peoples with different beliefs and from different ethnicities can coexist and share both pain and joy.

The Vice President stressed that Hanukkah is a celebration of the irrepressible light, which people should use to find hope and take the right decisions. She elaborated: "Tonight, our message from the Sofia Synagogue should be for peace, it should be for more light and enlightenment, because light and enlightenment are the future of our children."

Miteva said, in her capacity as the National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism, assured the attendees that the efforts of all competent state structures are aimed at the tackling all manifestations of antisemitism, discrimination and intolerance, both in real life in the public and online.

Central Synagogue in Sofia, December 30, 2024 (BTA Photo/Nikola Uzunov)

/YV/