Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them? In every age, a hero or sage came to our aid
—lyrics from a traditional Hanukah song
Like many Jews who read the news, I’m lighting my Hanukah menorah each night thinking of Ahmed el Ahmed, a Muslim immigrant hero for our age.
When I lit the first candles for Hanukah, I felt connected with Jews around the globe in mourning and fear after the Bondi beach attack that killed 16 people in Australia. Like many others, I wondered how I could celebrate when there had just been a massacre. And then I thought about the latest hero for our people: Ahmed el Ahmed, Syrian immigrant.
The Hanukah song “Who Can Re-tell?” asks Jews to enumerate the losses: “Who can re-tell the things that befell us, who can count them?”
What follows is sadly only a partial list: Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue during shabbat services, in Israel during Simhat Torah on October 7, 2023, in Manchester England during Yom Kippur this year and now on an Australian beach just before Hanukah.
Ahmed el Ahmed was nearby having coffee. Without any weapons, he snuck up on one of the shooters and disarmed him. Truly, a hero for our age.
Does it matter that Ahmed el Ahmed is a Muslim immigrant? Yes, because Muslims are the new wandering Jews. From Uigurs being forced to give up their traditions in China, to Myanmar’s mistreatment of Muslims living there, to Christian white majority fearmongering about people fleeing the horrors of war, Muslims have joined Jews among the most scapegoated people on Earth. Forced conversion, expulsion, and being blamed for one’s own displacement is pretty much the experience of Jews for hundreds of years.
Does it matter that Ahmed el Ahmed is a middle-aged father of two? Yes, because his children are blessed to have an amazing superhero parent. We certainly need more amazing parents, especially men, to step up and stop global hate and massacres.
Does it matter that Ahmed el Ahmed is a fruit seller? Yes, because it’s a fact. Just as Superman had an alter ego in the journalist Clark Kent, Ahmed el Ahmed has an honorable day job. Which leads to a Jewish super-hero question:
Could Ahmed el Ahmed be a lamed vovnik? (lamed and vov are Hebrew letters whose numerical value is 36). According to optimistic Jewish lore, there are always 36 hidden righteous people on earth who go about doing good things. It is said that each of the lamed vovniks would be unaware of their special role.
Ahmed means “The praised one” and is related to the word for gratitude in Arabic. Your heroism will be forever remembered, and your example renews my faith in humanity. Hanukah means “dedication” in Hebrew.
Thanks and praise to you, Ahmed. I am renewing my dedication to immigrants, Muslims, Jews, and fruit sellers.
Sasha Cuttler, RN PhD, is a member of Bay Area Chapter of Friends of Standing Together, and an honorary associate professor at the School of Health Sciences University of Nottingham (U.K.). For ID only: Sasha’s opinions are their own.
