Is Hanukkah, a holiday that commemorates the victory of the Israelites over the Greeks in a series of battles taking place around the year 165 BC, still relevant today, almost 2200 years later? The majority of Israelis (83 percent) light a candle every single night of Hanukkah, an amazing figure considering the large percentage of secular Jews within Israeli society. Most North American Jewish families light Hanukkah candles as well
Hanukkah is still relevant to Israel's sense of identity. The battles that took place 2200 years ago were neither about territory nor resources, but dealt with religious freedom- the right to follow the Jewish faith. The prayer of gratitude, Al HaNisim, "For the Miracles," which we add on each of the eight days of Hanukkah, emphasizes the nature of the Greek threat: "When Greece, the 'Evil Empire,' rose up against Your nation, Israel, to make them forget Your Torah, and to remove them from (the observance of) the statutes which You desire." Many Jews at that time adopted Greek culture, habits, and values. They declared themselves to be Mityavnim, "New Greeks." The Maccabees feared the rejection of the Torah and its way of life by the Jewish people in favor of Greek culture.
Eighty-seven years ago, Eliezer Ben Yehuda died at the age of 64. A key figure in the revival of Hebrew as a colloquial language, Ben Yehuda would be shocked to see the signs on the streets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv today that commemorate his name. Many shopkeepers consider Hebrew not "cool" enough to attract buyers, and their signage is in other languages. Would Ben Yehuda think we are loosing our identity and becoming like the "New Greek" Jews?
Last week, the justice minister caused a storm when he said he wanted to "restore glory" to the judicial system in Israel by reinstating the law of the Torah. The leader of the opposition retorted that this statement should concern any citizen who cares about democracy. Many in Israel felt that the minster's statement placed Israel squarely in the heart of the third world. Supporters of the minister's statement believe that basing the Israeli legal system on the Torah would infuse it with a Jewish soul. Is the timing of the justice minister's statement merely a coincidence or is it intentionally to be associated with the story of Hanukkah and what it represents?
For a young state such as Israel, the challenge of identity is crucial. Who are we? Are we made up of our long history, our collective journeys and memories, our survival, our victories? Or are we expressed through our modernity, achievements, and advanced society? Do we have one narrative or several? Where do we draw the line between preserving our heritage and creating a new, modern society? Is moving forward equivalent to becoming "New Greeks," or is it merely adjusting to life in the twenty-first century?
Have we nothing to learn from other nations, from other cultures? Do we want our lives to be without theater, world literature, music, art and so on? The line is thin, the risk is wide.
Today, the Jewish homeland is a place where many secular citizens feel the burden of religious law. Many Israelis identify as Israeli first, and Jewish second. What constitutes a Jewish democracy? Is it freedom of religion or freedom from religion?
Hanukkah is also known as the festival of lights. The Jewish people were called to be Or Lagoyim, "a light to all the nations." On the week of Hanukkah, Jews all over the world will light one more candle every night. Perhaps this unity of tradition is what Hanukkah is all about: Nor matter where, we stand united, remembering our joint past, reflecting on what it symbolizes, and based on our own beliefs and views of our lives as Jews, we hold hands in this miraculous chain-in Yiddish, di goldene kait, of the Jewish nation.