FOUNDER'S MESSAGE
The Jewish people will soon be celebrating Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, commemorating an event that happened nearly two thousand years ago when Israel's oppressed Jews, led by Maccabean revolutionaries, set about to reclaim the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

After seizing the Temple in triumph, the Maccabees' joy quickly diminished when they gazed upon an interior defiled and desecrated by the Greeks. Determined not to give up but to restore the structure to its former holiness, the warriors searched the Temple for sanctified oil in order to rekindle the Holy Menorah. Sadly, they found only one small jar -- sufficient to last a single day. Still, they lit the Menorah. And a miracle occurred. The oil lasted eight full days, the exact amount of time it took to prepare new ritually pure olive oil.

The real miracle of Chanukah was this unwavering determination of the Maccabees, despite overwhelming obstacles, to renew their sacred Jewish traditions. A less committed group might have surrendered that hope at the outset, but the Maccabees persevered. By courageously taking that first step, they began the ultimately successful process of reviving Jewish life in Jerusalem.

A similar miracle is now happening among those Jews who remained in Central and Eastern Europe following the mass destruction of the Holocaust. Although many in this generation saw their own parents killed by the Nazis because they were Jews, these parents of today have had the extraordinary courage to take a first step towards reconnecting with their roots by sending their children to Foundation sponsored schools, kindergartens, youth centers and camps.

The result is that in city after city and home after home throughout 13 countries in the region, a visitor encounters the happy faces of Lauder school children and their families, smells the aroma of freshly baked challah, and hears songs and stories echoing our Jewish heritage.

It is these Jewish families who embody the light and the hope, the miracle of Chanukah.

And as we welcome these communities into our global network, The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation will make certain in every way possible that they continue to thrive and flourish, and that the essence of the Menorah continues to burn brightly.

Warm Wishes for a Happy Chanukah!

Ronald S. Lauder

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