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NEW YORK – The Brooklyn Nets honored the victims of the Hanukkah massacre in Sydney with a Hanukkah celebration at the Barclays Center during the team’s exhibition game against the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
As part of the event, a giant basketball menorah was lit during the game by the 14-year-old nephew of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the Sydney massacre last week. The ceremony was facilitated by the Chabad Teen Network, the world’s largest teen organization.
PK Press Club Digital spoke with Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky of Chabad World Headquarters, who reportedly attended the menorah lighting at the Barclays Center on Thursday but instead booked a one-way ticket to Australia to join the victims’ families. Kotlarsky said the Nets recognizing Hanukkah and celebrating Jewish heritage is one of the things that “makes America great.”
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A menorah made of basketballs overlooks the Barclays Center before the Brooklyn Nets take on the Miami Heat in Brooklyn, New York on December 18, 2025. (Ryan Canfield/PK Press Club)
“I think it’s really, really amazing to see America in all its glory, where it represents what we believe in. And we celebrate our ideals and our traditions, and our holidays, and that’s supported by the Nets, which is an incredible franchise,” Kotlarsky said.
“Being able to recognize and give a voice to many teenagers who may not be in a Jewish school or a Jewish (ChaBad) school, proudly celebrating their heritage is one of the things that makes America great. One of the things that makes sports, the tool and vessel that it is, to reach across the aisles and allow young people to be proud of who they are.”
The Nets have two Jewish players on their team, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf, and Kotlarsky said they inspire young people, showing them they can pursue their dreams without compromising their values.
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Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (2) drives to the basket in front of Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York, December 14, 2025. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)
“People see that no matter where you come from or wherever your humble beginnings are, you can still be proud of who you are and rise to the top, and you are celebrated for who (you are). I think the key message, about the whole celebration, is one that we celebrate proudly, that light has infinitely more power than darkness and for them to be on the team to be able to say, ‘You are passionate about basketball and you can make it,'” said Kotlarsky.
“You can celebrate who you are.”
Kotlarsky said his trip to Australia was about ensuring the Jewish community, which is facing a lot of “pain, hurt, loss and shock”, will emerge bigger, stronger and better. He said they were planning to hold a last-minute Hanukkah celebration Sunday on the same beach where 16 people were killed.
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A sign under a menorah wishing people a “Happy Hanukkah” overlooks the Barclays Center before the Brooklyn Nets take on the Miami Heat in Brooklyn, New York on December 18, 2025. (Ryan Canfield/PK Press Club)
“You can’t understand why things happen and how people can be so mean and kill for such things, but at the same time it brings out so much more of what we believe,” Kotlarsky said.
“Like the message of Hanukkah, when you squeeze an olive oil, it comes out. When you squeeze people, you see their true essence and who they are and you hope that beautiful things will come out of it.”
