The Republican Party caucus said Tuesday there was a “little extra” to celebrate during this year’s Hanukkah celebration, in light of President Trump’s recent and controversial decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“This year, we can celebrate a little extra, to be living in a country that is unafraid to say out loud what two thousand years of history has been unable to erase — that Jerusalem was and remains Israel’s capital!” said an email from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, the chair of the House Republican Conference.
“We’re blessed to live in a country where our religious freedom is constitutionally guaranteed; where we see menorahs alongside Christmas trees,” Rodgers said. “That liberty, which so many sacrifice to preserve, is something we must never take for granted.”
The status of Jerusalem is a sensitive issue, as both Israelis and Palestinians have claimed it as their capital. Bucking decades of U.S. policy, Trump announced last week that Jerusalem would be recognized by the U.S. as the capital of Israel. Trump also announced that he ordered the State Department to make preparations to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The U.S., along with many other nations, previously had not identified Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, noting the decision is incumbent upon the result of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the victory of Jewish warriors, known as the Maccabees, against a Greek-Syrian army in 165 B.C. The eight-day holiday, known as the Festival of Lights, includes a ceremonial lighting of a nine-branch candelabrum to remember when the Jewish people rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Although the Jewish people only had oil left to light the temple’s menorah for one day, the oil lasted eight days.
