    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [November 30, 1999]
    [Page 2171]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message on the Observance of Hanukkah, 1999
    November 30, 1999

        Warm greetings to everyone celebrating Hanukkah.
        This joyous Festival of Lights commemorates the rededication of the
    Jews' Holy Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over oppression
    and the rekindling of the Temple's sacred oil lamp. That victory,
    recounted in ancient Jewish writings, is one of history's earliest
    recorded battles for religious freedom. More than two thousand years
    have passed since Judah the Maccabee and his courageous followers
    refused to reject their faith in God, their customs, and their religious
    traditions; but today people across the globe still struggle for the
    freedom to worship according to their own conscience.
        As Jews throughout America and around the world gather with family
    and friends to light the menorah and remember the miracle of God's
    presence in our lives and history, let us all give thanks for the
    blessed light of religious freedom in our nation. And let us be mindful,
    in our thoughts, prayers, and actions, of those who still must live in
    the shadow of oppression.
        Hillary joins me in extending best wishes to all for a memorable
    Hanukkah observance and for peace and joy in the coming year.

                                                                Bill Clinton