What if the modern transposition of Hanukkah's miracle was the development of the vaccine against the coronavirus?
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla agrees with that, saying that Hanukkah is not only "the story of great determination in the face of adversity,” but also “the story of the impossible becoming possible.”
On Wednesday evening, Bourla was invited to light the 7th night of Hanukkah candles during a virtual ceremony hosted by the Israeli embassy in Washington - only a few days after his company's vaccine received for the first time ever the final go-ahead to be distributed across the US.
Just before lighting the candles, he explained that Hanukkah of course reminds us of the Maccabees' story and the miracle of the last tiny cruse of oil that lasted eight days, but that today, we can also testify of the miracle development of the first vaccine against the coronavirus pandemic that ravaged the world for the last year.
Introducing Bourla at the beginning of the virtual ceremony, Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer pointed out that the business executive is also the son of Holocaust survivors, as his parents were among the few Jews from Thessaloniki, Greece to survive the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis.
Happy 7th night of #Hanukkah!Thanks to @Pfizer & CEO Dr. @AlbertBourla, the end of the #COVID19 pandemic is in sight as#vaccines roll out globally. We owe Dr. Bourla & Pfizer a debt of gratitude, and are honored to have him light tonight's candles. pic.twitter.com/Ncb0HO61wA
— Embassy of Israel (@IsraelinUSA) December 16, 2020
“Seventy-five years after the Nazis murdered millions, Dr. Bourla is today leading the race to save millions,” Dermer said, lauding Pfizer for being the first corporation to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, which will be distributed to countries around the world, including Israel.
“This Hanukkah, as this extremely difficult year comes to a close, and we look to a new beginning, we are celebrating both the incredible human spirit and determination it took to create the COVID-19 vaccine and how these efforts made the impossible, developing a vaccine so quickly, possible,” he added.