In general, when one is away from home during an entire night of Chanuka and is unable to light in an alternative place, whether for technical or halachic reasons,[1] he can fulfill the mitzva of lighting Chanuka candles if someone else lights in his house. Ideally, one’s spouse should be the one to light there, as a husband and wife are considered one unit.[2] However, any member of the household suffices,[3] as does a valid shaliach (agent), even if he does not live in the house.[4] Since you will be unable to light anywhere yourself at the proper time, you should look for a shaliach to light in your home.
However, time-zone issues present an interesting halachic question. At the proper time for lighting candles in Jerusalem, it will be morning in New York – before Chanuka and its mitzva of lighting begin. Is it possible for you to fulfill the mitzva by means of a shaliach even before it is Chanuka for you? (This question would also be relevant on subsequent days of Chanuka; even though it would indeed be Chanuka in New York as well, the obligation in Jerusalem would be that of a new day, whereas the obligation in New York would still be that of the previous day.)
Some poskim[5] reason that the answer to this question depends on the nature of the mitzva to light Chanuka candles. Does the mitzva focus on the specific person, but in the family framework, one member may actively light on behalf of other household members, who are then credited with the mitzva? Or does the mitzva devolve upon the home, meaning that the house must have Chanuka lights lit in it, and then all are credited for their connection to a home that publicizes the miracle? If the nature of the mitzva is the former, then a traveler cannot fulfill the mitzva when someone else lights for him at a time when the mitzva does not yet apply to him. However, if the latter reasoning is true, then it is possible to argue that as long as the household had its required lighting, it does not matter if it occurred at “the wrong time” for a particular household member, as long as it was the right time in terms of the house’s location.
Ta’arich Yisrael[6] discusses the matter at length, citing many opinions on either side, starting with the Rishonim (regarding the conceptual nature of the mitzva) and continuing through contemporary poskim (some discussing our time-zone question). While it is difficult to resolve the dilemma, we lean towards agreement with the Minchat Yitzchak,[7] who posits that even if Chanuka candles are a mitzva on the household, the household mitzva cannot count for a person whose time of obligation has not yet arrived. Furthermore, the poskim who permitted fulfillment of the mitzva for one for whom it was not yet Chanuka discussed cases in which one’s spouse lit in their home, such that there was a proper lighting for at least part of the household. It is more difficult to claim that a shaliach can create a household lighting for you when your entire household is in pre-Chanuka New York. Therefore, we do not think that having a shaliach light at the regular time would suffice in your case.
However, your northeasterly first leg of the flight should bring you to nightfall (in the location where you will actually be at the time) by around 10 PM Israel time.[8] Thus, if you can find a shaliach to light in your home at around 10:30 PM Israel time, it will be at the correct time for you as well, wherever you will be at that point. Although the preferable time to fulfill the mitzva is when people normally frequent the street of the home where the candles are lit, and not many people frequent your quiet street at 10:30 PM, nevertheless, there are grounds to rule that the mitzva can be fulfilled when the person who lights the candles sees them himself.[9] You should therefore have the shaliach stay in your house for half an hour before extinguishing the lights.[10]
The shaliach should not make a beracha on the lighting, due to a few doubts: Many rule that a shaliach does not make a beracha when the meshale’ach (the one who sends him) is not present;[11] not all agree that one should make a beracha when only the person lighting sees the candles;[12] your flight may be delayed, such that it will not be nighttime where you are until after the shaliach lights. You will also miss reciting that night’s beracha on seeing the candles (She’asa Nissim), as well as Shehecheyanu.[13] (You should recite Shehecheyanu when you light on the second night of Chanuka.)