WATCH: Shining Bright Amid the Darkness

Hanukkah started with darkness. On the eve of the holiday, we learned of yet another tragic school shooting at Brown University, followed by a horrific antisemitic terrorist massacre on Bondi Beach in Australia. We then learned of the tragic deaths of Michele and Rob Reiner, who had served as a partner of JDCA, directing a political ad with Billy Crystal. We are devastated by these excruciating losses, outraged by rising antisemitism, and praying for the families impacted by violence in the past week.

In some ways, the past week has been similar to the past year. Amid darkness, we have found resilience, strength, and light in community. We have come together, demonstrating strength in numbers, and grown our efforts. Despite the darkness, we at JDCA found, created, and spread light.

Hope is a Jewish value. Our work has been driven by hope and efforts to improve the world by electing those who share our values. In the past year, our efforts have provided light, and 100% of our endorsed candidates won their elections.

As we head into 2026, we are hopeful about continuing to expand this work and win elections because of all of you. We will continue to find and spread light and create the change we wish to see in the world. We hope you’ll watch our short end-of-year video and celebrate the light that we found together this past year.

Take a moment today to watch our 2025 Hanukkah video.

Wishing you a happy Hanukkah,

Halie Soifer

CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America