Lighting Hope: Eli Sharabi and Gilad Erdan at the MDA Hanukkah Gala

As Miss Israel World International and Miss World Influencer in Miss World International, this Hanukkah I felt part of one big family as we gathered at the Magen David Adom – AFMDA Miami Gala at the Miami Beach Convention Center, a night that truly lived up to its promise. Nearly 600 people — philanthropists, volunteers, and celebrities — came together, united by a shared mission: to honor life and to stand tall in the darkest moments since October 7.

On Hanukkah, a holiday of miracles, we witnessed true courage in the presence of former hostage Eli Sharabi. He shared with the audience how he survived 491 days in Hamas captivity, enduring starvation, isolation, and psychological terror. Emerging from unimaginable darkness, he delivered a message that moved everyone in the room: choose life. Listening to him, I was reminded of what it truly means to be Israeli — to be broken and yet still believe, to suffer and yet still choose hope.

Sharabi described in detail many of those terrifying moments before being kidnapped when terrorists entered his Kibbutz Be’eri home. He spoke about the decision he and his family made in those final moments — not to fight, not to resist, because they had no weapons — and most importantly, to protect their daughters. He recalled believing, for reasons he still cannot fully explain, that their British passports might protect them.

He also shared the brutal reality of captivity: surviving on one to one-and-a-half pita breads a day, while Hamas terrorists ate five full meals daily, supplied by UNRWA. And yet, he stood before us upright, dignified, and full of life — a living testament to the strength of the human spirit.

During the lighting of the Hanukkiah, actor and host Jonah Platt spoke about the shamash, the helper candle. The shamash stands taller than the other eight candles — not for honor, but because it exists to give light to the others. That night, the shamash was dedicated to Eli Sharabi and lit by him, while Ambassador Erdan lit the remaining candles. As the flame rose, Eli became a symbol of that light — a reminder that even when everything is taken from us, the human spirit can remain unbroken.

The evening was further shaped by the words of Magen David Adom Ambassador Gilad Erdan, former Ambassador of Israel to the United Nations. He spoke about the recent Bondi attack in Australia, reminding us that terrorism and hatred recognize no borders, and underscoring why organizations like Magen David Adom matter — not only for Israel, but for the world.

“In the wake of the brutal attack against the Jewish community in Australia, we stand in solidarity with Jews there and all around the world, reminded once again that our people face the same hatred, yet we stand together as one. Hanukkah is the festival of light. People often ask me how I could spend four years at the United Nations, an institution full of lies and so committed to Israel’s destruction. Indeed, fighting for Israel at the U.N. constitutes an uphill battle, but there is one message taught by the Lubavitcher Rebbe that has always reminded me of my mission: even a little bit of light can dispel much darkness. That is a message I carry with me every single day, and it proves that every one of us can make a difference by fighting for truth. That is the message of Hanukkah.” Erdan Shared.

Sharabi’s memoir, Hostage—now a New York Times bestseller and named one of Time magazine’s must-read books of 2025—is not only a story of survival, but a powerful declaration of love for life itself.

As an Israeli, Magen David Adom represents who we are at our best. More than 34,000 volunteers — Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Bedouins — respond to every emergency, without politics and without discrimination. Saving lives is not a slogan. It is a way of life.

Hanukkah teaches us “Ein somchim al ha-nes” (in Hebrew)— we do not rely on miracles. And yet, we are commanded to celebrate them. We light candles during the darkest nights of the year to remember that even a tiny flame can push back overwhelming darkness. This year, I saw that truth come alive — not through oil, but through people.