Happy Chanukah!
The 2,000-year-old Chanukah story resonates today — especially if you understand what it was really about.
The left would like you to believe that Chanukah was about a political conflict, with invading Greek colonialists and a victorious, scrappy Jewish resistance. The truth is very different.
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The Greeks aimed to eliminate Jewish distinctiveness and Biblical values. They were happy to have a “Judaism lite,” but not one that stuck to our core beliefs — like a single G-d who watches over us and our actions. And the Greeks, of course, reflected the dominant culture of the time.
Thus the part of the narrative the left would have you forget: that many Jews abandoned their actual values in favor of what was “new” and “popular,” and who were happy to join in the oppression of the tired old-school rabbis.
Sound familiar?
Of course it does. Today’s activists impose their views in the name of equity and justice, but there is nothing tolerant about their ideals or methods. The only viewpoint they will accept is one that abandons the foundational religious values of our country and completely conforms to post-modern ideals.
On Chanukah, we celebrate the triumph of our religious values over meaningless dilution, a victory that ensured our freedom of worship and the continuation of our legacy. The most significant danger to the free exercise of religion today comes from those who would permit no religious exercise at all. Now, as then, we must stand up for our religious values and defend our freedoms. Your gift keeps us in the fight — so thank you in advance for your generous support.