Just a day after an antisemitic attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and First Lady Claudia Kehoe welcomed guests to the Governor’s Mansion for Chabad of Greater St. Louis’ annual Hanukkah gathering, a tradition that felt heavier and more necessary this year.
The second night of Hanukkah brought together Jewish communal leaders, active military members and guests from across Missouri for what amounted to a public statement: Jewish life and Jewish light, would not retreat indoors.
Rabbi Yosef Landa, regional director of Chabad of Greater St. Louis, led the ceremony and thanked the governor and first lady for continuing to open their home for the annual celebration. He also acknowledged the attack in Sydney, which took place during a Chabad Hanukkah event, framing the moment as a reminder of why the holiday is meant to be celebrated publicly.
Rabbi Chaim Landa, also with Chabad of Greater St. Louis, said the mood in the room reflected both grief and resolve.
“The room was filled with warmth and a deep sense of purpose,” Chaim Landa said. “Hearing the governor’s words was uplifting, a reminder about the power of light and goodness, the importance of ensuring our religious freedoms and celebrating our religious diversity.”
For Landa, that feeling extended beyond the mansion walls.
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“It feels especially important now to make an extra, intentional effort to share the joy and light of Hanukkah in public and visible ways,” he said. “This world so clearly and so desperately, needs it.”
Longtime Jewish community leader Harvey Tettlebaum introduced Gov. Kehoe, who acknowledged the tragedy in Sydney and reaffirmed Missouri’s commitment to religious liberty. Kehoe also presented an official proclamation declaring Dec. 14 through 22 as Hanukkah in the State of Missouri.
The proclamation cited Hanukkah’s themes of religious freedom and recognized Chabad centers across Missouri for organizing public menorah lightings as part of the global campaign launched in 1973 by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
The lighting itself followed tradition. The governor and first lady lit the shamash candle, Holocaust survivor Gloria Feldman lit the first Hanukkah candle and Jefferson City resident Gail Severance lit the second.
There were songs, live piano, gelt and dreidels followed by a kosher lunch with latkes and jelly doughnuts.
| RELATED: “Show up for Sydney”: St. Louis lights the menorah in solidarity after deadly attack
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