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NEW YORK – The Brooklyn Nets paid tribute to the victims of the Hanukkah massacre in Sydney in a Hanukkah celebration at the Barclays Center during the team’s warm-up 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.
Pakinomist Digital spoke with Chabad World Headquarters Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, who would have attended the menorah lighting at Barclays Center on Thursday, but instead booked a one-way ticket to Australia to be with 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 basketball overlooks the Barclays Center before the Brooklyn Nets took on the Miami Heat in Brooklyn, New York on December 18, 2025. (Ryan Canfield/Pakinomist)
“I think it’s really, really incredible to see America in all its glory, standing up for what we believe in. And we’re celebrating our ideals and our traditions and our holidays, and it’s supported by the Nets, who are an incredible franchise,” Kotlarsky said.
“Being able to recognize and give a voice to a lot of teenagers who might not be in a Jewish school or might not be in a Jewish (ChaBad) to celebrate their heritage proudly is one of the things that makes America great. One of the things that makes sports, the tool and the vessel that it is, to cross the aisles and empower 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 the youth and show them they can follow their dreams without compromising their values.
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Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (2) drives to the basket past Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York on Dec. 14, 2025. (Photo by Heather Khalifa/AP)
“People see that no matter where you come from and no matter where your humble beginnings are, you can still be proud of who you are and reach the top and you’re celebrated for who (you are). I think the key message, about the whole holiday, is one that we celebrate with pride, that light has infinitely more power than darkness, and that you can have them say, and that you can say, you like the basketball team. do it,” Kotlarsky said.
“You can celebrate who you are.”
Kotlarsky said his trip to Australia is about making sure the Jewish community, which is dealing with a lot of “pain, hurt, loss and shock,” will come out of this bigger, stronger and better. He said they appear to be holding a last-minute Hanukkah celebration on Sunday at the same beach where 16 people were killed.
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A sign under a menorah wishing people a “Happy Chanukah” overlooking the Barclays Center before the Brooklyn Nets took on the Miami Heat in Brooklyn, New York on December 18, 2025. (Ryan Canfield/Pakinomist)
“You can’t understand why things happen and how people could be so evil and kill for such things, but at the same time it brings out so much more in what we believe,” Kotlarsky said.
“Like the Hannukkah message, when you squeeze an olive oil comes out. When you squeeze people, you get to see their true essence and who they are and hope beautiful things come out.”
