With the exquisite Christmas Trees


At the White House Hanukkah Reception

This December, my siblings and I reunited in Washington D.C. to celebrate Hanukkah together. But before the holiday had even started in America, we watched in horror as the news of the Islamist terrorist attack in Bondi Beach poured in on social media. This year God was asking each of us to light the candles of Hanukkah while surrounded by impenetrable darkness.  It seemed ironic that we had just spent time at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, stepping into the Hall of Remembrance where the smell of the eternal flame mingles with a whispered Kaddish, and now we were mourning murdered Jews in Australia. Never Again felt like a hollow lie said by everyone but meant by very few. The attack proved that those countries whose governments allowed—and even encouraged—space for anti-Zionism were, in fact, fomenting antisemitism. Refusing to call terror what it is when it occurs in Israel—attempting instead to bathe it in ‘context’ and moral relativism—means refusing to acknowledge that ‘from the river to the sea’ and ‘globalize the intifada’ are calls by radical Islamists and Jew-haters for the worldwide annihilation of Jews first, and then Christians. The murder of innocent human beings simply for being Jewish is the result. Politicians like Albanese, Starmer, and Mamdani issuing all sorts of apparently sympathetic statements are just highlighting their own hypocrisy. To the progressive woke left, the fringe far right, and any self-hating Jews who claim that title in name only: the rest of us have had enough of your false distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. The lights of Hanukkah must shine brightly, casting revealing light on these dangerous movements so that we can call them what they are and expunge them from normal society.

In stark contrast, President Donald Trump, along with his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been clear that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are inextricably linked. Since taking office, President Trump has enforced legislation meant to protect Jews, withheld federal funding from universities that permit ‘globalize the intifada’ encampments, and deported non-citizens who chant rhetoric that encourages hatred of Israel and Jews and plants the seeds for attacks like Bondi Beach. No matter our political persuasion, these are actions for which we should be grateful each and every day. The unequivocal support that President Trump shows the Jewish community should not be taken for granted, especially at a time when one too many members of Congress, politicians, pundits, and influencers—Democrats and Republicans alike—are for all intents and purposes, engaging in antisemitism.

It is in this context that I recount my Hanukkah experience of 2025 as one that I will never forget. It began on the first day of Hanukkah at the Pentagon, invited by one of my best friends, where we celebrated our brave military service members as they lit the Menorah at the Department of War. After sufganiyot and latkes we stopped by the Pentagon Memorial Chapel to pay tribute to the 184 innocent people who died there on 9/11/01. And, as we added more candles to our Menorah each night, I couldn’t shake the excitement of what I was about to experience. A dear friend of mine had reached out to me, on my birthday of all days, to invite me as her guest to the White House for the 3rd night of Hanukkah. Being a Catholic herself, this would be her first Hanukkah and my first time at the White House, a dream of mine I had recently believed was impossible. Even now, 2 weeks later, I still cannot fully grasp that I was blessed to be there—within that hallowed house whose construction began in 1792, a silent witness to every consequential world leader. The White House, especially at Christmastime under our First Lady Melania Trump’s impeccable decorative taste, is adorned in a grandeur that dazzles the eye from every angle yet bears the weight of countless decisions made within its walls— decisions that have altered the course of history.

President Trump is like the Hanukkah candles amid the darkness; he brought our hostages home, dismantled Iran’s nuclear program, and is working to expand the Abraham Accords, building upon his monumental move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem and his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. We are blessed beyond measure that a man who deeply loves Israel and the Jewish people, through actions and not just words, is the commander in chief of our great nation. He understands that support of Israel as the sole democracy in the Middle East strengthens America’s standing in that treacherous neighborhood and builds upon the Judeo-Christian values our country was founded on. While he addressed us, I prayed silently: May God bless President Trump and his family with health, with continued courage to do what is right, and with the capacity to bring peace to every corner of our world. I will never be able to thank God enough for this miraculous experience and I hope one day, I’ll be able to sing for President Trump. As God showed me this Hanukkah, miracles do happen after all.

Dr. Lila Chertman is an endocrinologist based in Miami, FL born to Peruvian parents. She graduated from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine with Alpha Omega Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa distinction and participated on several medical missions in Peru. She completed her fellowship in Endocrinology at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System, and her Internal Medicine residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. Dr. Chertman has published several medical papers and was a healthy policy intern for Senator Bill Cassidy in Washington D.C. As a resident she held leadership roles within the American College of Physicians, the Florida Medical Association, and the Peruvian American Medical Society. Lila is also a professional singer and Cantorial Soloist. Before starting medical school, she worked as the Cantorial Assistant at Congregation Bnai Israel in Boca Raton. She is a member of the Master Chorale of South Florida where she sang in productions including Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem among others, as well as with Andrea Bocelli in Concert. Since 2022 Lila has been the Cantor for the High Holy Days at Temple Emanuel of Miami Beach. In June 2025, she received Rabbinic ordination. She is passionate about Zionism and has traveled with and served on the board of Jewish National Fund-USA in South Florida, and is a graduate of the American Jewish Committee Shepard Broad Fellowship.