Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attended a public menorah lighting ceremony in Paris on Sunday to honour the first night of Chanukah. The event was organized by Chabad-Lubavitch.
Schwarzenegger, 68, joined some 6,000 people who gathered, under heavy security, for the lighting at the base of the Eiffel Tower, despite security concerns in the wake of last month’s terrorist attacks. The actor is in town for the international climate change conference, and was invited to the lighting of the 30-foot-tall menorah by Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia.
A long supporter of Israel, Schwarzenegger told the crowd, “Finally! I’m getting invited again to go to a menorah lighting.”
“When I was governor of the state of California, every year at the capital in Sacramento…the day after the Christmas tree lighting we also did the menorah lighting,” he continued. “The menorah to me means light. And it is very important that light prevails over darkness. And that good prevails over evil. And I stand here with you to make sure – and I know that if we’re together shoulder to shoulder – that we will prevail, and good will prevail over evil.”
Happy Hanukkah from Paris! Light will always overcome darkness. pic.twitter.com/0O7THZ5x53
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) December 6, 2015
Following his address, Rabbi Korsia lit the first candle, and the crowd celebrated.
During his stay in Paris, Schwarzenegger visited the memorials of the victims of the Nov. 13 Paris massacre, and also met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and several French lawmakers to discuss climate change.
