Posted in Holidays

So, here we are at Chanukah Day 2 and I thought i would talk about the real story of Chanukah and what we can still learn from it today.  Because it does have a very powerful message for Jews in America.

But first, I need to show this picture because it is absolutely hilarious:


I didn't take the picture, it is one that is flying around the net, but it definitely gave me a good laugh.    And while it is good to laugh, this picture is even on topic.

What?  How can a picture of a Chanukah ham be about the story of Chanukah?

Well it is a little known fact that the story of Chanukah is really one about assimilation - something I feel very strongly about.

You see the Greeks/Syrians had ruled Israel for many years before the rebellion took place (please don't make me go and look up how many years).  They infused the area with Greek culture and civilization, and invited the Jews living there to take part.  And many Jews began to find it enticing.  They began to dress in the Greek style, wrestle in the gymnasium, and go to Greek plays.  It was all very subtle at first, but the Greek way was permeating the Jews.

The Greeks of course encouraged this.  It was how they built their empire.  They conquer an area, assimilate all the natives into their civilization and they have happy citizens.  It worked for the Syrians after all.  They thought they could do the same with the Jews.  The Jews would assimilate in, give up their old ways - and their old religion - and become fine upstanding Greek citizens.

So, for the Jews anyway it all started innocently enough.  What is wrong with fitting in and enjoying Greek culture?  These assimilated Jews were called the "Mityavnim" which translates as Hellenists. 

There were of course Jews who spoke out against this trend.  Most outspoken was Yochanan who was the High priest in the Temple.  Yochanan felt strongly that if we adopted Greek ways we would lose our Jewish identity.  For the most part he was ignored, as it was fun to be a Greek!  Then Antiochus IV became emperor of Syria.

Antiochus was a tyrant, plain and simple.  He decided it was time to start unifying all his subjects under one religion.  He removed Yochanon as the High Priest in the Temple and replaced him with a Mityavnim.  He began to pass laws that would prevent Jewish laws.  At first they were things the Jews could work around so they didn't fight it.  Most Jews were Mityavnim and they felt that giving up the "old ways" and joining the Greek way was a much better way to live.

But the laws kept getting worse.  Eventually Jewish worship was forbidden.  Torah scrolls were confiscated and burned.  Keeping the Sabbath, keeping kosher, circumcision were all made illegal and punishable by death.  Soldiers went from town to town forcing Jews to bow down and pray to pagan idols.

Sadly, most of the Mityavnim didn't fight the new laws.  They chose to save their lives and abandon HaShem's commandments.

There were of course a group of loyal Jews who refused -led by Mattiyahu.  When the soldiers came he refused to bow to the idols.  When a Mityavnim came forward to do so, Mattiyahu killed him before he could.  And with that act the rebellion began.

Mattiyahu died shortly thereafter.  Before he died he called his 5 sons to him and told them to continue the fight.  Judah took over the military leadership.  They called themselves the Maccabees - an acronym for Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim Hashem "Who is like you, O G-d?"

Antiochus sent 2 armies in to defeat the Jews.  The Jews were tremendously outnumbered but defeated both armies.  So Antiochus sent 40,000 troops in.  The Maccabees declared they would fight to the death.  After more fierce battles, the Jews emerged victorious.  They rode to Jerusalem to reclaim the temple and throw out the pagan idols that had been placed there.  The rest of the story I told yesterday.

I find this story fascinating for a number of reasons - mostly having to do with being an observant Jew living in America.  Assimilation is still a huge problem for Jews today.  Far and away most Jews in America are assimilated.  Intermarriage rates are at astronomical high levels and more and more Jews are losing their identity.  Assimilation is far more likely to do what Hitler never could - eradicate the Jewish people.

So, am I the only one or does everyone else see the irony in Chanukah being one of the most celebrated holidays amongs Jews in America?  Truly almost all of the people who celebrate Chanukah here would be Mitznayim, and they didn't fight against the Syrians.  Logically, you would think most American Jews would want to forget the holiday all together.  But it gets remembered because that same assimilation problem makes them want to compete with their American neighbors.  So they tend to ignore what we were fighting for.

Now, I am using 'they" for the assimilated American Jews, but I am truly not trying to be judgemental.  I often wonder if I have assimilated too much - would I have joined the Maccabees?  I like to think I would have.  I am certainly more observant than most Jews in the US, but I am far from perfect.  My kids have webkinz, go to girl scouts, I am on the internet, we go to museums and movies....  there are a myriad of ways I have become part of American culture.  And I am certainly proud of my American heritage as well

But I like to tell myself that at my core I am a Jew first and foremost.  I am a Jewish American, whereas most Jews are American Jews.  I raise my children that while we currently live in a Jewish friendly country, things could change and that their loyalties should always be with HaShem above country.  (Right now for instance, there is a bill before our state senate that would make circumcision - even for religious reasons - illegal.  Sound familiar?).

The more things change the more they stay the same.

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Some articles on Assimilation: Will Your Grandchildren Be Jewish

Fighting Assimilation

This is a link to a clip from the movie "Hebrew Hammer".  It is supposed to be funny - and it is, but remember the funniest things are based in fact.  Jewlarious

Editing to add one more article.  This appeared in my mailbox this afternoon and was excellent:
Hijacking Chanukah