What the Maccabees can teach us regarding the Israel-Hamas War - opinion

This coming Monday, we will begin the new month of Kislev, which means it’s Hanukkah time once again.

The story of Hanukkah is well known to every Jew from kindergarten onward, the story of the miraculous crucible of oil that lasted for eight days. However, our prayers commemorating Hanukkah place much more emphasis on the military victory of the Maccabees over the mighty Greeks, the success of the few against the many, the pure against the impure, the wicked delivered into the hands of the righteous.

It is a fabled Jewish story of heroism.

There have been recent attempts by Palestinian activists to hijack this most Jewish of stories and to paint their own battles against Israel in the same terms. 

The narrative has been turned on its head with the “poor Palestinians” battling against the mighty Israel.

This misappropriation of Jewish history is as grotesque as it is absurd.

While comparisons can sometimes be illuminating in highlighting themes of resistance and survival, it is critical to approach these analogies with care to avoid drawing false moral equivalences. The stark realities of modern terrorism demand clear distinctions.

The Maccabees rose up against the Seleucid Empire in a battle for religious and cultural survival. Under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid Greeks attempted to forcibly impose Hellenistic practices on the Jewish population of Judea, outlawing key aspects of Jewish worship and desecrating the Second Temple.

The revolt, led by Judas Maccabeus and his family, was a fight to reclaim not just their land but their identity and freedom to worship.

The Maccabean victory was marked by the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, an event commemorated during Hanukkah. Their resistance, though violent, was directed against an empire that had infringed upon the fundamental rights of a people to live in accordance with their faith and traditions.

The modern conflict between Israel and Gaza reflects a distinct set of dynamics. On October 7, 2023, the violent and extremist group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by multiple countries, including the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, launched a large-scale attack against Israel.

This attack included the deliberate targeting of civilians, mass killings, sexual violence, kidnappings, burning alive of babies, and other acts that constitute violations of international law.

The actions of Hamas bear no resemblance to the resistance of the Maccabees. The Maccabean revolt was a fight for the survival of a community under direct imperial oppression.

In contrast, Hamas’s actions – including the indiscriminate firing of rockets into civilian areas and the use of human shields – are (or should be) internationally recognized as acts of terrorism. These tactics are not justifiable under any moral or legal framework, and their deliberate targeting of noncombatants is an affront to universal human rights and international conventions.

Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks has been characterized as a fight for national survival and the protection of its citizens. The IDF has undertaken military operations aimed at dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure in Gaza, including its extensive network of tunnels and weapons storage facilities.

While these operations have resulted in civilian casualties – a tragic and often unavoidable consequence of modern warfare in densely populated areas – their intent is fundamentally different from the deliberate targeting of civilians.

The comparison to the Maccabees resonates with some Israelis, symbolizing resilience and the defense of a homeland under threat. However, the modern context requires a recognition of the asymmetry in ethical considerations.

The Maccabees fought a defensive war for religious freedom, while Hamas’s actions are rooted in an ideology that seeks the destruction of Israel and employs tactics condemned by international law.

The Maccabean revolt was deeply tied to preserving Jewish identity, much like the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often framed in terms of national and religious identities. For Jews, the memory of the Maccabees strengthens the importance of self-determination and the right to exist in the face of existential threats. It must also be accepted that for Palestinians, narratives of resistance also play a powerful role in identity formation.

However, it is crucial to distinguish legitimate aspirations for statehood and rights from the actions of groups like Hamas, which undermine those aspirations through violence, hatred, and behavior that no human being should ever contemplate.

The importance of moral clarity

While historical comparisons can offer valuable insights, they must be drawn with moral clarity. The Maccabees fought for the freedom to worship and live as Jews under oppressive rule.

Hamas, by contrast, operates as a terrorist organization that prioritizes destruction and violence over the welfare of the people it claims to represent. Its actions, including the use of civilian populations as shields and the rejection of ceasefires, have exacerbated suffering in Gaza and deepened the region’s cycle of violence.

The Maccabean revolt ultimately led to the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty and a brief period of Jewish sovereignty, demonstrating the potential of determined resistance to oppressive forces. However, the modern conflict between Israel and Gaza requires a different resolution – one rooted in adherence to international law.

The ongoing violence underscores the need for the international community to differentiate between the legitimate rights of people and the unacceptable actions of terrorist organizations. Only through a commitment to justice, security, and the rejection of extremism can a pathway to peace emerge.

The lessons of history remind us that while resistance to oppression is a fundamental right, the methods and moral frameworks underpinning such struggles define their legacy.

And one more sobering thought: After the stunning victory of the Maccabees, it all came crashing down less than 130 years later. And why? Civil war – disunity among the Jewish people.

As Churchill is reputed to have said: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

The writer is a rabbi and physician who lives in Ramat Poleg, Netanya, and is a cofounder of Techelet-Inspiring Judaism.