Hanukkah
is a Zionist Celebration!
(Compiled and edited by Steven Shamrak)
The name of Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, is
derived from a Hebrew word - meaning “to dedicate.” It used to be a minor
Jewish festival with no Biblical source.
The Chanukah story permeates
Hanukkah is one of the quintessentially Zionist
holidays. It is a holiday of freedom, celebrating the victory of the Maccabees
over the Syrians. It reaffirms the centrality of
Hanukkah is a holiday of Jewish national liberation.
Unfortunately, most of our current spiritual leaders are defining Hanukkah
mainly as the Feast of Lights! They deliberately do not emphasize that this
miracle was the reward for determination and courage exhibited by Jews in the fight
for liberation of our land!
From the very beginnings of the Zionist movement, the
story of the Maccabees would serve as an inspiration.
As Theodore Herzl wrote, “The Maccabees
will rise again.” Vladimir Jabotinsky similarly
declared: “Yes, they have arisen - the children of those whose
ancestor was
The modern State of Israel came into being as a
modern miracle. With inferior weaponry, little infrastructure, and a much
smaller population, the day after declaring independence, the new country was
forced to go to war against invading armies from the neighboring Arab states.
The miracles that come to mind when one thinks of Israel’s history are numerous
- the surprising victory of the War of Independence, the stunning victory of
the Six Day War, as well as the Yom Kippur war.
The Maccabees faced a powerful enemy - the
Syrian Greeks. They protected the traditions of the Jewish people and ensured
the continuity of Jewish life in