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Wednesday, 1 December 2010
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| Report: most persecuted religion is Christianity - 200 million suffering Lifesite The report notes that in 21 of the 194 countries studied, there is almost no religious freedom, and that worldwide, out of every ten people, seven cannot ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Several (7) Statistics of Information and Possible Action for the ... By Doug Nichols There are three (3) billion people worldwide with no nearby Christian or church to share the Gospel with them. They can only be reached by someone going to them (missionary) with the Gospel. If one missionary went to 5000 of these, ... Doug Nichols - http://dougnichols.blogspot.com/ |
| The moral failure of churches and the UN towards the persecution ... By Ray Cook The decision is a response to a call from a group of Palestinian Christians, a growing number of Jewish organisations, both inside Israel and worldwide, and the World Council of Churches. A majority of governments recognise the Israeli ... Ray Cook - http://www.raymondcook.net/blog/ |
| Egyptian Security Forces Use Live Ammunition on Unarmed Christian ... By ZIP (AINA) – Christian Copts worldwide were shocked and enraged at the use of live ammunition by Egyptian state security forces against unarmed Coptic protesters, causing the death of three Coptic young men. ... Islam always gets a pass. To even mention Islam's long bloody history of oppression and genocide, which continues to this day, brings cries of “Islamophobia” from the usual suspects. Islamophobia is a natural and logical reaction to this cult of death. whthfk says: ... Weasel Zippers - http://weaselzippers.us/ |
| European Union Directives,Regulations and Laws. |
TMC Net
The undersigned support the announcement by the European Commission to review the exemption for the PV industry from the Directive. ...
See all stories on this topic »
| Home Office forced to consult civil liberties groups over privacy laws Expert Reviews ... currently in breach of the ePrivacy Directive, due to there being no independent body to hear complaints; UK provisions don't comply with EU rules for ... See all stories on this topic » |  Expert Reviews |
EurActiv
The 2005 Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) provides the legal framework for combating misleading and aggressive advertising in the EU. ...
See all stories on this topic »
Dailymotion - EU leaders clinch new treaty deal - a News ...
The new reform treaty was clinched shortly after. ... speaker who condemned the EU for speaking out about human rights abuses in Iran while ignoring. ...
www.dailymotion.com/.../xfuqx4_eu-leaders-clinch-new-treat...
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by December 1, 2020 "Oh Chanukah, Oh Chanukah!" Tonight we light the first candle in the eight day festival of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. The holiday is marked by two miracles: The miracle of the oil burning in the menorah in the re-dedicated Temple -- enough for one day, it burned for eight. 
And the miracle of the ability of traditionally observant Jews at that time -- roughly 164 BCE -- to cleanse and re-dedicate the Temple. It had been defiled by Antiochus IV (king of the Seleucid Empire), who had sacrificed pigs there in worship of Zeus. This is the victory of the Maccabees, Judah and his brothers, sons of the priest Mattathias, over the Greeks. We celebrate a revolt against Hellenization that marked our right to sustain the Jewish practices that had been banned by the Greeks. ~~~~~~~~~~ It is appropriate to broadcast the miracle of this holiday, and thus we light our lights in a window, where they can be seen, or outside. 
After we light the candles, we sing, al ha-nissim v'al ha-nifla'ot v'al ha-tshu'ot. For the miracles and the wonders and the salvation...for these we light our candles. What better than that we Jews should recognize the miracles and the wonders and the salvation that are ours today: that we have been sustained to this day, have freedom fully to be Jews, and have been returned to our ancient homeland. What better than that we should honor that freedom by being fully Jews, and devoting ourselves with clarity to our right to the land. In honor of Chanukah, I will pass on all news today, and instead celebrate by offering you a choice of Chanukah videos. To all those readers who will be lighting their Chanukah lights tonight, I wish a Chanukah Sameach -- a joyous holiday filled with light and hope. ~~~~~~~~~~ A sweet version of al ha-nissim: ~~~~~~~~~~ A year old, but still fun. A Nefesh B'Nefesh Chanukah Flash Mob on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. (Nefesh B'Nefesh -- literally "soul by soul" -- is the amazing group that is promoting and facilitating aliyah.) ~~~~~~~~~~ Something different, and very lovely -- in honor of Chanukah (Lich'vod Chanukah) from Bialik. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have dreidels for Chanukah. 
And potato latkes or sufganiot (donuts) --- the main thing is that they are cooked in oil. Me? I take latkes, hot and crispy, with salt. Whatever your tradition: Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday, 28 November 2010
PALESTINE - THE FINAL SOLUTION OF THE JEWISH PROBLEM
How do we make sense of a Palestinian Authority refusing to recognise Israel as a Jewish state, not agreeing to any land swop as part of a pragmatic solution, and holding to the principle of the right of return (a Jewish Zionist expression of ever there was one) for refugees?
The answer is the core of the Middle East problem.
It is the defining essence of what is preventing any progress to a permanent peace.
It is the reason why Israel must stand firm even we appear to the world as an obstacle to peace.
The Palestinians are setting the stage for the final act. For Israel, the peace process is a set up, a trap.
Israel is being encouraged to drop its demands for recognition as a Jewish state. We are told that this should not be a pre condition, that it is viewed as somewhat racist, undemocratic, and that it gets in the way of a peaceful resolution to the conflict. It is made to appear as we are putting up obstacles to peace.
If we are not a Jewish state what are we, especially to them?
Answer – we are Palestine.
They refuse to drop the principle of the right of return. the world says let them keep it as a principle in their statute books, it will only apply to a very limited number of returning refugees into Israel, the rest will go to the new Palestinian state.
This is a most dangerous principle that must not pass.
Why?
Because if Israel agrees to accept any refugees it will concede the point that this Israel is really Palestine.
Why would anyone who considers themselves as Palestinian Arabs want to enter this land if they did not see it as Palestine?
Would any of them have suffered the statelessness of decades to move to Israel? No. In their eyes they are returning to Palestine. From within Israel, they together with those who consider themselves here as Palestinians would demand that their leadership work to resolve the divided people, to work towards a reunification of Palestine.
Anyone who demands that Israel surrenders the principle that it is not a Jewish state and accepts Palestinian refugees has set up Israel, and weakened us, for the next round in the battle of our survival.
Our concessions will be turned against us. Whatever has applied to the creation of a new Palestinian state will equally apply here, in Israel.
If you accept that the territories are, in reality, a Palestinian state, if you accept that East Jerusalem is theirs, if you accept the return of Palestinian refugees into Israel, then you admit that all the land is Palestine, including Israel. You may argue to the contrary but you would have lost your case by surrendering your legitimacy.
Once you accept that Palestinian refugees have the legitimate right to settle in our land under a right of return you have granted that this is their land.
Once you have handed them East Jerusalem as their capital nothing can prevent them from claiming the rest of Jerusalem is equally located in Palestine.
This is not a nightmare scenario. This is political reality.
No amount of appeasement to the Palestinians in the name of peace, no amount of concessions to separate the two peoples, will avoid the inevitable next round.
There are those that argue that we must separate ourselves to maintain a stronger, more demographic and democratic base. This will not prevent the ongoing delegitimization of Israel. On the contrary, the very fact that we have surrendered, whatever we will give them will legitimize their narrative in future demands.
We are witnessing the intransigence of the Palestinian leadership on land, East Jerusalem in particular, refugees, non-recognition of a Jewish state, of the denial of Jewish historical or religious claims.
We are at war for our survival and we are too willingly prepared to surrender our position on the altar of peace.
For the Palestinians, the acceptance and establishment of a new Palestinian state will be an important bridgehead from which to launch the next stage in their campaign for the reunification of Palestine.
Knowing this is coming, why should we surrender the bridgehead?
The argument is given that we must retreat to a stronger position where we will have greater collective strength only applies if we have withdrawn, and not left our ammunition behind to be used by our enemy.
If we try to retrench but have given our enemy the weapons in which to attack us we are doomed.
By agreeing to their terms with nothing in return we have surrendered the high ground.
We may plead that we did so to be nice to them, that we withdrew so that they will leave us in peace. .These arguments won’t hold in the coming battle.
We will have surrendered land, they will continue to claim, because it belonged to them. Now they want the rest, the land on which we continue to sit because, that too, belongs to them.
At that time what weapons could we possibly use then in our continuing fight for our survival?
We will have given up on our legitimate claim of being a Jewish state, just as easily as we failed to make the legitimate argument of our rights to the land.
We would have accepted Palestinian refugees into our land, thereby opening ourselves up to the claim that we admitted this to be Palestine by that deed.
Get ready for the final attack. We will be hit by the same forces that are attacking us now, but they will be stronger because, to them, we would have been making their case for them.
They will be armed by the weapons we will have given them.
We will have shown them our weakness by not holding firm to our values. They will see that we were not ready to defend our rights and our heritage.
The reuniting of Palestine will be their battle cry. It will be the final battle of our survival.
They will be joined in the battle by Israeli Arabs some of whom already call themselves Palestinians; they include those who sit in the Knesset, our legislative chamber.
They will celebrate the establishment of a new Palestinian entity but not for the reasons it will be celebrated in Israel.
Israelis may dream that this, at last, will give them peace and tranquility. The Arabs who are today demanding justice for the Palestinians, will they cease their campaigns and turn themselves to improving the condition of their fellow Arabs in Israel? Or will they look at this as just one victory on the road to total victory – the reunification of Palestine.
Certainly we have heard from representatives, such as Haneen Zoabi, an Arab member of Israel’s Knesset, that they will never recognise Israel as their country that only Palestine in this land will be their redemption. This call will only become louder as the next stage of the delegitimization of Israel takes center stage.
It will be a battle when all our gestures and concessions will work against us for the very fact that we surrendered our land, our history, our heritage, our identity, on the altar of peace will be meaningless and will have weakened us to the point that we will have no further legitimate argument left in our arsenal when the final battle comes.
In truth, the peace process is nothing more than a modern day Auschwitz process.
The Jewish state of Israel, under demonization, delegitimization, threats, and attacks has been persuaded that there is no other choice but to join the peace process, that this is the only way to peace.
The Jews of Europe under demonization, delegitimization, threats, and attacks were persuaded that they had no other choice but to join the train that will take them to a camp away from the oppression.
Israel is told to refrain from claiming to be a Jewish state. it is having its heritage and history stolen from it.
The Jews of Europe had to wear a yellow Star of David to identify them as Jews. They also had their homes and their valuable possessions stolen from them.
Just as the Jews of Europe were reviled and isolated in ghettoes so is Israel becoming reviled and isolated – the Jew among nations. Israel is becoming the new ghetto. We even build a separation wall to protect ourselves. This is the first time in Jewish history that Jews have voluntarily put themselves inside our own ghetto. We do so out of a need to survive.
Just as the Jews of Europe were driven into the cattle cars on their way to the camp so is Israel driven to the peace process that is leading them into the camp.
At the camp, the Jews of Europe were stripped of their final possessions, their identity replaced by a number stamped on their arms.
Today Israel is being stripped of its identity to become an unidentifiable people.
The train is pulling into the camp, the camp being the establishment of a new Palestinian entity.
We are told that the camp belongs to them and we can have the showers.
We are already in the camp and trapped. Trapped by our own failures and admissions. We were driven there by the United Nations, guarded by the international community, delegitimisers, and public opinion. We were confined inside the cattle cars of international resolutions.
We had surrendered our passports and our valuables too easily. We had echoed their mantras as they marched us to the train.
Now we are in the camp, trapped by our gullibility and our acceptance of their demands.
At that time, when we have surrendered the camp to them, it will be easy for them to herd us into the showers for we will be defenseless.
During the Holocaust, Jews gave their money, their valuables, to the enemy to try and stay alive. They begged. They bribed. They pleaded. When you are persecuted there is no place for pride.
Some Jews hid their identity, choosing to blend in with the enemy, as they watched their people struggling to survive.
The Palestinian Nazis are following the principles of the Third Reich. Here are some of the latest decrees, instituted by the’ moderate’ leadership:
‘Anyone selling land to a Jew will be shot!’
‘Conquered land must be Judenrein!’
‘There is no such thing as Jewish history!’
‘Any reference to Jewish possession must be struck from the records!’
‘The Jews must not be allowed to survive as a race. We will accept nothing less than their final surrender!’
Is this not preparation for the final solution of the Jewish problem – Palestinian style?
We will know that you have been suckered into the Auschwitz process. It will be when we begin to hear about the reunification of Palestine. Then it will be too late.
It is what they are discussing in their Wansee meetings.
We did not listen then. We are not listening now.
The answer is the core of the Middle East problem.
It is the defining essence of what is preventing any progress to a permanent peace.
It is the reason why Israel must stand firm even we appear to the world as an obstacle to peace.
The Palestinians are setting the stage for the final act. For Israel, the peace process is a set up, a trap.
Israel is being encouraged to drop its demands for recognition as a Jewish state. We are told that this should not be a pre condition, that it is viewed as somewhat racist, undemocratic, and that it gets in the way of a peaceful resolution to the conflict. It is made to appear as we are putting up obstacles to peace.
If we are not a Jewish state what are we, especially to them?
Answer – we are Palestine.
They refuse to drop the principle of the right of return. the world says let them keep it as a principle in their statute books, it will only apply to a very limited number of returning refugees into Israel, the rest will go to the new Palestinian state.
This is a most dangerous principle that must not pass.
Why?
Because if Israel agrees to accept any refugees it will concede the point that this Israel is really Palestine.
Why would anyone who considers themselves as Palestinian Arabs want to enter this land if they did not see it as Palestine?
Would any of them have suffered the statelessness of decades to move to Israel? No. In their eyes they are returning to Palestine. From within Israel, they together with those who consider themselves here as Palestinians would demand that their leadership work to resolve the divided people, to work towards a reunification of Palestine.
Anyone who demands that Israel surrenders the principle that it is not a Jewish state and accepts Palestinian refugees has set up Israel, and weakened us, for the next round in the battle of our survival.
Our concessions will be turned against us. Whatever has applied to the creation of a new Palestinian state will equally apply here, in Israel.
If you accept that the territories are, in reality, a Palestinian state, if you accept that East Jerusalem is theirs, if you accept the return of Palestinian refugees into Israel, then you admit that all the land is Palestine, including Israel. You may argue to the contrary but you would have lost your case by surrendering your legitimacy.
Once you accept that Palestinian refugees have the legitimate right to settle in our land under a right of return you have granted that this is their land.
Once you have handed them East Jerusalem as their capital nothing can prevent them from claiming the rest of Jerusalem is equally located in Palestine.
This is not a nightmare scenario. This is political reality.
No amount of appeasement to the Palestinians in the name of peace, no amount of concessions to separate the two peoples, will avoid the inevitable next round.
There are those that argue that we must separate ourselves to maintain a stronger, more demographic and democratic base. This will not prevent the ongoing delegitimization of Israel. On the contrary, the very fact that we have surrendered, whatever we will give them will legitimize their narrative in future demands.
We are witnessing the intransigence of the Palestinian leadership on land, East Jerusalem in particular, refugees, non-recognition of a Jewish state, of the denial of Jewish historical or religious claims.
We are at war for our survival and we are too willingly prepared to surrender our position on the altar of peace.
For the Palestinians, the acceptance and establishment of a new Palestinian state will be an important bridgehead from which to launch the next stage in their campaign for the reunification of Palestine.
Knowing this is coming, why should we surrender the bridgehead?
The argument is given that we must retreat to a stronger position where we will have greater collective strength only applies if we have withdrawn, and not left our ammunition behind to be used by our enemy.
If we try to retrench but have given our enemy the weapons in which to attack us we are doomed.
By agreeing to their terms with nothing in return we have surrendered the high ground.
We may plead that we did so to be nice to them, that we withdrew so that they will leave us in peace. .These arguments won’t hold in the coming battle.
We will have surrendered land, they will continue to claim, because it belonged to them. Now they want the rest, the land on which we continue to sit because, that too, belongs to them.
At that time what weapons could we possibly use then in our continuing fight for our survival?
We will have given up on our legitimate claim of being a Jewish state, just as easily as we failed to make the legitimate argument of our rights to the land.
We would have accepted Palestinian refugees into our land, thereby opening ourselves up to the claim that we admitted this to be Palestine by that deed.
Get ready for the final attack. We will be hit by the same forces that are attacking us now, but they will be stronger because, to them, we would have been making their case for them.
They will be armed by the weapons we will have given them.
We will have shown them our weakness by not holding firm to our values. They will see that we were not ready to defend our rights and our heritage.
The reuniting of Palestine will be their battle cry. It will be the final battle of our survival.
They will be joined in the battle by Israeli Arabs some of whom already call themselves Palestinians; they include those who sit in the Knesset, our legislative chamber.
They will celebrate the establishment of a new Palestinian entity but not for the reasons it will be celebrated in Israel.
Israelis may dream that this, at last, will give them peace and tranquility. The Arabs who are today demanding justice for the Palestinians, will they cease their campaigns and turn themselves to improving the condition of their fellow Arabs in Israel? Or will they look at this as just one victory on the road to total victory – the reunification of Palestine.
Certainly we have heard from representatives, such as Haneen Zoabi, an Arab member of Israel’s Knesset, that they will never recognise Israel as their country that only Palestine in this land will be their redemption. This call will only become louder as the next stage of the delegitimization of Israel takes center stage.
It will be a battle when all our gestures and concessions will work against us for the very fact that we surrendered our land, our history, our heritage, our identity, on the altar of peace will be meaningless and will have weakened us to the point that we will have no further legitimate argument left in our arsenal when the final battle comes.
In truth, the peace process is nothing more than a modern day Auschwitz process.
The Jewish state of Israel, under demonization, delegitimization, threats, and attacks has been persuaded that there is no other choice but to join the peace process, that this is the only way to peace.
The Jews of Europe under demonization, delegitimization, threats, and attacks were persuaded that they had no other choice but to join the train that will take them to a camp away from the oppression.
Israel is told to refrain from claiming to be a Jewish state. it is having its heritage and history stolen from it.
The Jews of Europe had to wear a yellow Star of David to identify them as Jews. They also had their homes and their valuable possessions stolen from them.
Just as the Jews of Europe were reviled and isolated in ghettoes so is Israel becoming reviled and isolated – the Jew among nations. Israel is becoming the new ghetto. We even build a separation wall to protect ourselves. This is the first time in Jewish history that Jews have voluntarily put themselves inside our own ghetto. We do so out of a need to survive.
Just as the Jews of Europe were driven into the cattle cars on their way to the camp so is Israel driven to the peace process that is leading them into the camp.
At the camp, the Jews of Europe were stripped of their final possessions, their identity replaced by a number stamped on their arms.
Today Israel is being stripped of its identity to become an unidentifiable people.
The train is pulling into the camp, the camp being the establishment of a new Palestinian entity.
We are told that the camp belongs to them and we can have the showers.
We are already in the camp and trapped. Trapped by our own failures and admissions. We were driven there by the United Nations, guarded by the international community, delegitimisers, and public opinion. We were confined inside the cattle cars of international resolutions.
We had surrendered our passports and our valuables too easily. We had echoed their mantras as they marched us to the train.
Now we are in the camp, trapped by our gullibility and our acceptance of their demands.
At that time, when we have surrendered the camp to them, it will be easy for them to herd us into the showers for we will be defenseless.
During the Holocaust, Jews gave their money, their valuables, to the enemy to try and stay alive. They begged. They bribed. They pleaded. When you are persecuted there is no place for pride.
Some Jews hid their identity, choosing to blend in with the enemy, as they watched their people struggling to survive.
The Palestinian Nazis are following the principles of the Third Reich. Here are some of the latest decrees, instituted by the’ moderate’ leadership:
‘Anyone selling land to a Jew will be shot!’
‘Conquered land must be Judenrein!’
‘There is no such thing as Jewish history!’
‘Any reference to Jewish possession must be struck from the records!’
‘The Jews must not be allowed to survive as a race. We will accept nothing less than their final surrender!’
Is this not preparation for the final solution of the Jewish problem – Palestinian style?
We will know that you have been suckered into the Auschwitz process. It will be when we begin to hear about the reunification of Palestine. Then it will be too late.
It is what they are discussing in their Wansee meetings.
We did not listen then. We are not listening now.
Kahane was Right? Most Jews Think
It's OK to Prod Arabs to Go
Kislev 23, 5771, 30 November 10 11:30
by Gil Ronen(Israelnationalnews.com) Was Rabbi Meir Kahane right? A poll by the Israeli Democracy Institute suggests most Israelis might agree with the late rabbi and political leader, who favored encouraging the emigration of Arabs from Israel.
The annual Democracy Survey found that 53% of Jewish people in Israel maintain that the state is entitled to encourage Arabs to emigrate from Israel. Eighty six percent believe that critical decisions for the state should be taken by a Jewish majority.
Jewish forces expelled Arab residents by force in Israel's War of Independence in 1948, while others fled of their own accord. That conflict began with a naked attempt by several Arab armies and Arabs living on the Land of Israel to slaughter all of Israel's Jews, just three years after the Holocaust.
Since that time, the idea of expelling Israel's Arab population, either by force or through compensation and voluntary emigration, has gradually become taboo. The expulsion of Arabs is referred to by the World War Two term 'transfer' and regarded as unconscionable. However, the IDI poll appears to show most Israeli Jews see as legitimate unspecified steps for “encouraging” Arabs to leave.
As in previous years the Democracy Survey indicates “an unwavering optimism in the public’s attitude toward Israel’s future.” The majority of Israelis “continue to want to live in Israel, are proud of their state, and feel that they belong to the Israeli collective.”
Trust in the Supreme Court is at an apparent all-time low: only slightly more than half the general Israeli public—54%—state that they trust the Supreme Court fully or to some extent, while 44% state openly that they do not trust it. Only 41% of the respondents have full or partial trust in the police.
The IDI survey shows that the sector of the Israeli public with the most nationalistic views on Arabs living in Israel is arguably the hareidi-religious one. While just 33.5% of secular Jews are opposed to granting such Arabs equal rights, 51% of traditional Jews, 65% of religious Jews, and 72% of hareidis are oppose to the idea.
Sixty-two percent of
the Jewish sample feel that as long as Israel is in a state of conflict with the 'Palestinians,' the views of Arab citizens of Israel on foreign affairs and security issues "should not be taken into account."
the Jewish sample feel that as long as Israel is in a state of conflict with the 'Palestinians,' the views of Arab citizens of Israel on foreign affairs and security issues "should not be taken into account."As for equality in the allocation of resources, 55% of respondents think that greater resources should be allocated to Jewish communities than to Arab ones. Among right-wingers, a clear majority (71%) agree with it.
Chanukah 2010 Guide for the Perplexed
Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative"
December 1, 2010
1. George Washington first learned of Chanukkah while at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1778: "Perhaps we are not as lost as our enemies would have us believe. I rejoice in the Maccabees' success, though it is long past...It pleases me to think that miracles still happen."
2. "In God We Trust" was inspired, also, by the Maccabees’ battle cry, which adopted Moses’ battle cry against the builders of the Golden Calf. A literal translation of Moses' battle cry is “Whoever trusts G-D; join me!”
3. The Maccabees' sacrifice and political-incorrectness inspired Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" and New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die." The Maccabees followed in the footsteps of Abraham, Phineas the High Priest, Joshua & Calev, King David and Elijah the Prophet, who walked against the grain, in defiance of the establishment and conventional wisdom.
4. Inspiration to Benjamin Franklin's "Rebellion against Tyrants is obedience to God." The Maccabees were a tiny minority of “rebels” - condemned by the "loyalists/pragmatists" - rising against an oppressive super-power. They were condemned, by the Jewish establishment, as "enemies of peace" and "extremists." They prevailed due to their principle-driven, determined and can-do state-of-mind and adherence to roots and long-term vision against any odds. They demonstrated the victory of the few over the many, right over wrong, moral over immoral, truth over lies, faith over cynicism and opportunism. The Maccabees became a role-model for the US' Founding Fathers, including Paul Revere (who was referred to as a "modern day Maccabee") and the organizers of the Boston Tea Party. They realized that no free lunches were available for freedom-seeking nations.
5. "Chanukah has a special significance in Montana these days. In Billings in 1993, vandals broke windows in homes that were displaying menorahs. In a response organized by local church leaders, more than 10,000 of the city’s residents and shopkeepers put make-shift menorahs in their own windows, to protect the city’s three dozen or so Jewish families. The vandalism stopped" (New York Times, Dec. 4, 2009, Eric Stern, senior counselor to Gov. Brian Schweitzer).
6. Historical context
Alexander The Great - who held Judaism in high esteem and whose Egyptian heir, Ptolemy II, translated the Torah to Greek - died in 323BCE following 12 glorious years. Consequently, the Greek Empire disintegrated into five, and thirty years later into three, kingdoms: Macedonia, Syria and Egypt. The Land of Israel was militarily contested by Syria and Egypt. In 198BCE, Israel was conquered by the Syrian kingdom. In 175BCE, a new king assumed power in Syria, Antiochus (IV) Epiphanies, who viewed the Jews as pro-Egyptians and held Judaism with contempt. In 169BC, upon his return to Syria from a war against Egypt, he devastated Jerusalem, massacred the Jews, forbade the practice of Judaism (including the Sabbath, circumcision, etc.) and desecrated Jerusalem and the Temple. The 167BCE-launched rebellion against the Syrian (Seleucid) kingdom featured the Hasmonean (Maccabee) family: Mattityahu, a priest from the town of Modi'in, and his five sons, Yochanan, Yehuda, Shimon, Yonatan and Elazar. The heroic (and tactically creative) battles conducted by the Maccabees, were consistent with the reputation of Jews as superb warriors, who were hired frequently as mercenaries by Egypt, Syria, Rome and other global and regional powers.
7. The Hasmonean dynasty
*Mattityahu son of Yochanan, the priest-led rebellion – 166/7BCE
*Yehuda the Maccabee, son of Mattityahu – 166-161BCE
*Yonatan the Maccabee, son of Mattityahu – 161-143BCE
*Shimon the Maccabee, son of Mattityahu – 143-135BCE
*Yochanan Hyrcanus son of Shimon – 135-104BCE
*…
*Mattityahu Antigonus – 40-37BCE
8. Key geographic Maccabee sites are located in Judea and Samaria: Mitzpah (also Samuel's burial site), Beit El mountains (Judah's first headquarters), Beit Horon (Judah's victory over Seron), Hadashah (Judah's victory over Nicanor), Beit Zur (Judah's victory over Lysias), Ma'aleh Levona (Judah's victory over Apolonius), Adora'yim (a Maccabees' fortress), Elazar & Beit Zachariya (Judah's first defeat), Ba'al Hatzor (Judah defeated and killed), the Judean Desert, etc. Jerusalem (beyond the "1949 Lines") was the Capital of the Maccabees. Are the descendants of the Maccabees "occupiers"in the cradle of their own history??? Is Chanukah a holiday of "occupation," or is it a holiday which highlights Jewish moral-high-ground in their historical land?!
9. The legacy of Shimon the Maccabee. He succeeded Judah and Yonatan the Maccabees, while responding to an ultimatum by the Syrian emperor, Antiochus (Book of Maccabees A, Chapter 15, verse 33): "We have not occupied a foreign land; We have not ruled a foreign land; We have liberated the land of our forefathers from foreign occupation." Thus he responded to a super-power's ultimatum to end "occupation" of Jaffa, Jerusalem, Gezer, Ekron and Gaza.
10. Chanukah's uniqueness. Chanukah is the only Jewish holiday which commemorates a Land-of-Israel national liberation struggle, unlike Passover (Exodus from Egypt), Sukkot/Tabernacles & Shavouot/Pentacost (on the way from Egypt to the Land of Israel), Purim (deliverance of Jews in Persia), etc. Chanukah is the longest Jewish holiday (8 days) with the most intense level of Light (8 consecutive nights of candle lighting).
11. The origin of the name – Chanukah – is also education-oriented. According to the first book of Maccabees, Yehuda (who succeeded Mattityahu) ordered the Jewish People to observe an eight day holiday on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, 165BCE, in order to commemorate the inauguration (Chanukah, חנוכה, in Hebrew) of the holy altar and the Temple, following Syrian desecration. A key feature of Chanukah is education of the family (Chinuch, חינוך, in Hebrew). The Hebrew word, Chanukah, consists of two words, Chanu, חנו,(they rested/stationed) and Kah, כה, (25 in Hebrew), which refers to the fact that the Maccabees re-consecrated the Temple on the 25th day of the month of Kislev (purging it from the idolatries installed by the Syrians/Seleucids). Some have suggested that the celebration of Christmas on December 25th and the celebration of the New Year 8 days later (January 1) have their origin in the 25th day of Kislev (which always “accompanies” December) and the 8 days of Chanukah as well as the 8 days of circumcision.
12. Holiday of light and remembrance. The first day of Chanukah is on the 25th day of Kislev, the month of miracles (e.g. Noah's Rainbow appeared in Kislev). The first and last Hebrew letters of Kislev – וכ - equal (in Jewish numerology) 26, which the total sum of the Hebrew spelling of Jehovah. Moses completed the construction of the Holy Ark on the 25th day of Kislev, as was the date of the laying the foundation of the Second Temple by Nehemaya. The 25th (Hebrew) word in Genesis is Light (OR, אור, in Hebrew). A Jewish metaphor for the Torah is light. The 25th stop of the People of Israel - on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land - was Hashmona (same root as Hasmoneans in Hebrew). Chanukah commemorates the victory of Light (Maccabees) over Darkness and Remembrance over Forgetfulness (the Hebrew spelling of darkness – חשכה – employs the same letters as forgetulness - שכחה).
13. The origin of the name, Maccabee (מכבי or מקבי). Yehuda’s middle name was Maccabee, derived possibly from the Hebrew word Makevet (מקבת), Power Hammer), which described Yehuda’s tenacious and decisive fighting capabilities. It may have derived from the Hebrew verb Cabeh (כבה, to extinguish), which described the fate of Yehuda’s adversaries. Another source of the name suggests that Maccabee, מכבי, is the Hebrew acronym of “Who could resemble you among Gods, Jehovah” (“Mi Camokha Ba'elim Adonai” מי כמוך באלים י').
14. Eight days of Chanukah represent divine capabilities and optimism. The ancient Temple Menorah consisted of seven branches, which commemorated the seven days of creation. The Chanukah Menorah has eight branches, reflecting the additional level of divine capabilities over and beyond human expectations: The victory of the few over the many and the lasting of one day supply of oil for eight days. Some have suggested that the eight day celebration was designed to make up for the holiday of Tabernacles, which could not be celebrated by the Maccabees due to their war of liberation. The shape of the digit 8 represents infinity: No end to divine capabilities to enhance human fortunes, as evidenced by the survival of the Jewish People against all odds. The root of the Hebrew word for 8 (Shmoneh, שמונה) is "oil" (Shemen, שמנ), which is also the root of "Hasmonean" (Hashmonayim, חשמונאים).
15. Chanukah-Purim-Passover. The heroes of Passover and Purim had no choice but to defy their enemies. The Maccabees turned down the option of physical peace in return for spiritual assimilation. They refused to sellout the cradle of Jewish history. They were willing to pay any price for adherence to their roots, values and heritage. Chanukah symbolizes the victory of monotheism over paganism, conviction over convenience and opportunism/cynicism (sometime presented as "realism" or "pragmatism"), compassion over egotism, self-control and restraint over temptation and promiscuity, endurance over vacillation.
16. Seven Chanukah (inauguration)-like events: Chanukah of the Creation (Genesis 2:1-3), Chanukah of the Sanctuary (Numbers 7:1-11), Chanukah of the First Temple (Kings 1, 7:51, 8:1-11 & 62-66), Chanukah of the Second Temple and the Ingathering (Ezra 6:13-18), Chanukah of Jerusalem's Wall (Nehemiah 6:15-16), Chanukah of the Temple Priests in 165BC (Maccabees 1, 4), Chanukah of the After World. Some attach the significance of each such Chanukah to a corresponding day of the Creation.
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