By MIKE LEE

DC 37 celebrated the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, at a packed ceremony in union headquarters on Dec. 13.

Led by Psychologists Local 1189 President Dr. Leonard Davidman, chair of the DC 37 Jewish Heritage Committee, along with other union leaders and activists, the annual event marked an occasion to celebrate defiant resistance, while acknowledging hopeful signs in an uncertain future.

At the event, DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray spoke of the recent victory in the U.S. Senate special election in Alabama, stressing its importance in the upcoming struggles for labor.

“The event this year is special because of what happened in Alabama. A lot of people got together and made the decision that the bad guys are not going to win,” Gray said.

“This means that all of us working together can get the job done here,” Gray said. “The bad guys are not going are not going to win. Together, we can always do it.”

New York Police Dept. Chaplin Dr. Rabbi Alvin Kass, a Local 299 member, said, “You are family, and it is the most beautiful family in the world, because it is the family of humanity.”

“We belong to each other, we help each other and, to me, this is what DC 37 is all about,” Kass said. “This union has brought dignity to the people of the city of New York. Unions are about fighting for what’s right, which is what Chanukah celebrates. We are all in the battle to preserve the dignity of all people.”

Last year, the New York Police Dept. honored Kass for half a century of service.