While family was with us over Christmas our four-year-old grandson made the rounds of adults -- sometimes twice -- asking that we read him Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins. It was fun to do all the voices and he has a tremendous capacity to listen...again and again...
Hanukkah is a relatively minor Jewish holiday, but it usually coincides with Christmas and has its own theme of miraculous light in the midst of darkness. Darkness invaded a Hanukkah meal on the weekend when a man armed with a machete crashed into a home and injured five Jewish residents. It was a horrific unprovoked hate crime, but sadly not isolated. In recent days there have been at least 13 attacks on Jewish people in New York State, mostly in New York City.
Crimes against both Jews and Muslims are on the rise in the United States, and we have seen increased numbers in Canada as well. This is a disgusting trend which should offend all of us, yet emboldened white supremacy has been increasing in Europe as well.
Christians everywhere need to speak boldly against the darkness of racism and bigotry. If we believe that Christ is the Prince of Peace and the Light of the World then we will stand with sisters and brothers of other faiths in decrying the goblins of prejudice.
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