21,848 Lights of Hope: FSU Youth Answer the Call

During the recently concluded festival of Chanukah, Jewish youth across the Former Soviet Union achieved a remarkable milestone in community engagement and charitable giving. Through a coordinated effort that spanned the region, participants collectively lit 21,848 Chanukah candles, each flame illuminating the world and supporting children in medical distress.

The initiative, known as the Chanukah Challenge, brought together thousands of Jewish children, teenagers, students, and young adults from various FJC programs and frameworks. Participants came from diverse educational and social programs including EnerJew (FJC’s Jewish Youth Movement), Or Avner Jewish educational network, SmartJ, LevelUP, JFuture, Stars, YAHAD, Or Menachem, and Darkeinu.

“We focus on helping others and illuminating their lives, always remembering that assisting others is the best way to bring light into your own life,” explains Rabbi Yaakov Sominsky, a key activist in the EnerJew movement that led the campaign. “Especially during Chanukah, such light can transform into a miracle. We light candles to help others and illuminate homes, communities, and the world.”

The challenge incorporated multiple dimensions of community engagement, including daily Chanukah candle-lighting ceremonies across the FSU; community service initiatives and volunteer activities; social media engagement sharing the light of Chanukah globally: and charitable fundraising, with each candle lit representing a dollar donated to medical treatment funds.

In a unique combination of tradition and modern engagement, participants documented their candle lighting through thousands of photographs shared across social media platforms, extending the impact of their activities. The challenge also featured daily prize drawings, culminating in a grand drawing on the eighth night of Chanukah, offering participants special Chanukah-themed products and innovative electronic gadgets.