The event featured live broadcasts of menorah lightings occurring across Argentina, starting with a ceremony in the northern city of Salta led by community Rabbi Rafael Tawil. The celebrations continued with a lighting in a Jewish neighborhood of Buenos Aires, where families of hostages took part in the ceremony.
A unique lighting ceremony also took place aboard the Argentine Navy ship "Rio Santiago," led by Chabad emissary Rabbi Chaim Auerbach and Argentine Defense Minister Luis Petri. The evening culminated in another lighting in Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of Argentina, famously known as "the end of the world on the way to Antarctica," with Rabbi Ari Sigaloff joining the ceremony.
This year’s festivities marked the 40th anniversary of the central menorah lighting in Buenos Aires' city square, which included musical performances from singers, bands, and orchestras.
During the ceremony, Israeli Ambassador Ayal Sela lit a special yellow candle, symbolizing the hostages, and together with the crowd, called for their immediate return to Israel.
Speeches were delivered by Jewish Community President Amos Linzki, Mayor Jorge Macri, and Chabad’s Chief Rabbi in Argentina Tzvi Greenblatt. Rabbi Greenblatt also acknowledged the "Shloshim" (30 days of mourning) for Chabad emissary Tzvi Kogan z”l, who had served in the United Arab Emirates, and recognized the participation of officials from the UAE Embassy.
The ceremony also marked the conclusion of Mark Stanley’s tenure as the Jewish Ambassador of the United States to Argentina. Ambassador Stanley, a frequent attendee of Jewish events in the country, received a special memento from the community, along with their heartfelt blessings for his future endeavors.
The evening concluded with festive dancing and a warm, uplifting atmosphere, reflecting the joy and unity of the Jewish community in Argentina.
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