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Why we opened this campaign
Every year on Hanukkah we hold an event that helps us truly feel the meaning of the holiday and its connection to the present. This year, on December 17, the Yad Itzhak Foundation, together with bloggers and volunteers, will light the fourth candle in Ein HaShlosha on the border with the Gaza Strip.
Ein HaShlosha is a small kibbutz in the western Negev, located just a few hundred meters from the Gaza border. The kibbutz was founded in 1950 by immigrants from South America and, from its very first years, existed under real threat. Its name commemorates three members of the original settlement group who were killed in the War of Independence, and this memory has become part of the character of the place.
The events of October 7 split this life in two. Terrorists infiltrated the kibbutz, and for seven hours people sat in their safe rooms, listening to footsteps at their doors, covering their children's mouths with their hands so no breathing would be heard, waiting for help that did not come. Armed militants entered homes, killed, broke down doors, and searched for those who were hiding. Some residents tried to reach the settlement on foot and found the bodies of their loved ones along the paths. Others hid in the fields together with Thai workers, hoping they would not be discovered. Those hours have not disappeared from the country’s memory and have become part of Israel’s collective pain.
Here, the meaning of Hanukkah is felt especially clearly. The Maccabees once entered the destroyed Temple after the war with the Greeks and found a small jar of oil that should not have been enough — and yet they saw light where it should not have been. That flame burned for eight days and became a symbol of life’s ability to continue after devastation. We want to light the Hanukkah candle in Ein HaShlosha with this very meaning — in memory of those who were killed and in honor of those who live.
Today, the residents of the kibbutz are once again entering their homes after nearly two years of forced displacement. This is not a step back toward the life that no longer exists — it is a step forward, among walls that hold too much, and it is incredibly important for them to have people beside them who can walk this path together.
We want to create a calm, communal Hanukkah celebration in Ein HaShlosha. We will bring Hanukkah candles, sufganiyot, a music group, a children’s area, and everything needed for a warm evening where people can simply be together.
To make this evening possible, we need support. We need equipment, refreshments, logistics, gifts for children, musical gear, and many small details that turn an idea into reality.
If you would like to support people whose story has become part of the story of the entire country, we would be grateful for any help.
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