Senator Cory Booker lit Hanukkah candles at home for the first time this year, marking a significant personal milestone amid the backdrop of a tragic incident in Australia where 15 Jewish individuals were murdered at Bondi Beach. This event occurred on the first night of Hanukkah, a holiday that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness.
Booker, who is not Jewish, recently married Alexis Lewis, a real estate agent whose family includes both a Jewish mother and a black father. The couple wed on November 29, 2023, in an interfaith ceremony. They have embraced various Jewish traditions in their home, including lighting candles for Shabbat at least once a month and lighting the menorah during Hanukkah.
In an interview with JNS at the U.S. Capitol, Booker expressed the emotional weight of lighting the candles with his wife. “In my professional life, I’ve lit Hanukkah candles often, but I’ve never done it in my own home. It was very meaningful, very emotional in fact, to light them with her,” he said.
Reflecting on the significance of the moment, he added, “I know the beginning of the prayer, but I don’t even know the whole way through, so for her to sort of lead me in that ceremony, it was amazing.” The senator stated that lighting the candles during such a dark time underscored a powerful message about love and resilience.
Booker frequently invokes the words of the late Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in his speeches, often quoting, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” He noted that the recent tragedies have made this message particularly relevant. “In this season especially, the idea of Hanukkah is more meaningful to me, especially the time where we saw such horrific antisemitism rage again,” he remarked.
The rise in antisemitism, particularly following the Hamas-led attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, has given Booker a renewed sense of urgency regarding this issue. He emphasized, “The fight against antisemitism for me has always been a fundamental urgency to my life because of the infectiousness of hate.” He shared how his parents instilled in him and his brother the importance of combating this ancient evil.
Now married to a Jewish woman, Booker feels this fight has taken on a deeper meaning. “There is no bystander in hate. You’ve got to be an activist, or in many ways you become complicit in the end, the moral obscenity of hatred and of bigotry,” he said. “In no way does my marriage make me more in this fight, but it does make it a lot more personal.”
Booker’s connection to the Jewish community extends beyond his marriage. He began studying the Torah while at Oxford University and continues to learn from Rabbi Baruch Shalom Davidson of the Philadelphia area’s Chabad community. “I have a deep affection, deep love for the faith, and I think God has a sense of humor,” he noted. “We decided as we were dating and beginning to talk about marriage that we were going to have a household in which we celebrated Jewish holidays and even honor Shabbat.”
While honoring Jewish traditions, Booker and Lewis also plan to celebrate his own heritage. “But as someone who, even before I knew Alexis, truly had a great love and admiration for the Torah and for the faith, it was just a natural thing that when we decided to get married, that we would honor Jewish traditions in our home as well,” he explained.
Booker expressed gratitude for the journey he shares with his wife, stating, “I feel very blessed that I’m on this journey with Alexis. I feel so much more whole, but also I feel the blessing of, as we bring our traditions together, our marriage in and of itself can maybe bring some more light into the world.”
He also spoke about the deep historical connections between the Jewish and black communities in the United States. Booker recalled the significant role that Jewish individuals played in the civil rights movement, including the contributions of Jewish leaders like Julius Rosenwald, who partnered with Booker T. Washington to build schools for black children, and Joel Spingarn, a founder of the NAACP.
“Here in the United States, deep in the core of the black experience, has been Jewish alliances,” Booker remarked. “That’s something I’ll never forget.” He highlighted the importance of these alliances in the ongoing struggle against hatred and discrimination.
As Booker embraces his new role in a multicultural household, he remains committed to fostering understanding and unity, especially in light of the current climate of intolerance. Lighting Hanukkah candles has become a symbol of hope, representing the enduring power of love and light in the face of darkness.
