Hanukkah is more than a celebration of miracles; it is a profound reminder of what it means to fight for survival, identity, and freedom. Over two millennia ago, the Maccabees stood as a bulwark against the Seleucid Empire’s attempts to erase Jewish culture and sovereignty. Today, as we light the menorah and reflect on their courage, we face new challenges that echo the ancient struggle: modern anti-Zionism.
The story of the Maccabees begins in a time of profound crisis for the Jewish people. Under King Antiochus IV, the Seleucid Empire not only occupied Judea but sought to enforce a Hellenistic way of life, banning core Jewish practices and desecrating the Temple. Antiochus’s decrees were not merely about assimilation; they were about domination—an effort to strip the Jewish people of their distinct identity and render them powerless.
Faced with this existential threat, the Maccabees, led by Mattathias and Judah Maccabee, launched a rebellion. They were a small, poorly equipped force fighting a vast empire, but their cause was righteous. They fought for the right to live as Jews in their ancestral homeland, to worship freely, and to preserve their culture for future generations. Their victory was not just military; it was moral. It reaffirmed that no empire, no ideology, can extinguish a people’s will to exist.
Today, the Jewish people face a different kind of threat, but one rooted in the same denial of identity and sovereignty. Modern anti-Zionism, masquerading as a critique of Israel’s policies, often crosses into outright denial of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. It is an ideology that singles out the Jewish state for condemnation while ignoring far graver abuses elsewhere.
Anti-Zionism seeks to delegitimise not only Israel’s actions but its very existence. It perpetuates the falsehood that the Jewish people are interlopers in their own land, ignoring millennia of historical, cultural, and spiritual ties to Israel. This rhetoric is not just a political argument; it is an attempt to sever the connection between Jews and their homeland, just as Antiochus sought to sever Jews from their faith.
The parallels are striking. Like the Seleucid decrees, anti-Zionism is an attack on identity. It denies that the Jewish people have the same right as any other nation to sovereignty and self-determination. It portrays Jewish self-defence as aggression, reframing resilience as oppression. And it uses the tools of modernity—media, academia, and international platforms—to spread its narrative, much as ancient empires used proclamations and decrees.
But just as the Maccabees resisted Antiochus’s attempts to erase them, so too must we resist the forces of anti-Zionism. The lessons of the Maccabees are not confined to history; they are a call to action. They remind us that survival requires courage, that freedom is worth fighting for, and that identity must be defended against those who seek to diminish it.
Hanukkah, then, is not just a commemoration of past victories; it is a call to action for the present. The lights of the menorah are a symbol of resilience, illuminating the darkness of hatred and ignorance. Each flame represents the enduring spirit of a people who have faced exile, oppression, and violence yet refuse to be extinguished.
As we light the candles this year, let us remember that Zionism is not an ideology of conquest or oppression but one of self-determination and survival. It is the modern expression of the Maccabees’ struggle—the belief that the Jewish people have a right to live freely, safely, and proudly in their own land.
Let us also remember that anti-Zionism, like the Seleucid decrees, is not merely a critique but an attempt to delegitimise and erase. It must be met with the same resolve that the Maccabees displayed, a determination to stand firm in the face of adversity and to fight for what is just and true.
Hanukkah reminds us that even in the darkest times, light prevails. The Maccabees’ victory was a testament to the power of faith and resilience, and today, Israel’s existence is a testament to the same. Modern anti-Zionism may seek to challenge that existence, but as long as the spirit of the Maccabees endures, it will not succeed.
This Hanukkah, let us draw strength from their story. Let us recommit to defending Israel, not just as a state but as the embodiment of a people’s right to sovereignty and dignity. And let us ensure that the light of Jewish resilience continues to shine, now and always.
