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Unlike the Maccabees, we do not have the advantage of time

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
Unlike the Maccabees, we do not have the advantage of time

The Jewish people faced many existential threats. One of the more poetic is the story of Hanukkah, which has some parallels to the painful struggle our state faces today.

The empire of Antiochus had taken control of Judea and Jerusalem. Like families today who wake up every morning not knowing whether their loved ones held in Gaza are still alive, abandoned by those who promised to protect them, the Jews of ancient Jerusalem lived in the shadow of fear and uncertainty.

Antiochus banned Jewish practices and desecrated the Holy Temple, just as terrorists violated the sanctity of Israeli homes and communities in southern Israel on October 7. His empire, the Seleucids, took Jewish children hostage to ensure that their parents followed Greek customs. I don’t need to make a clear comparison here.

But in ancient times, a small group refused to accept this reality. Led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, they launched a resistance despite overwhelming odds. Today, the families of the hostages show similar determination.

They refuse to let their loved ones be forgotten, stage protests that fall on deaf ears, and demand action from a government that appears more concerned with political maneuvering than with bringing their people home.

TOMB OF THE MACCABEES near present-day Mevo Modi’im. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Maccabees’ guerrilla warfare lasted three years. Through strategic attacks they gradually weakened the powerful Seleucid army, and their commitment to the liberation of their people never wavered. Like families today who refuse to accept empty promises and bureaucratic excuses, who camp outside government offices and carry photos of their captive relatives, the Maccabees knew that time was of the essence.

Every day meant more suffering for her people.

Time is of the essence

Unlike the Maccabees, we don’t have three years. Every single hour, minute and second that passes without our hostages returning home is another hour, minute and second that they are being held in horrific conditions, lacking access to medical resources, suffering in unspeakable ways and endure unspeakable trauma.

When the Maccabees finally recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple, they found it in ruins. But in the midst of the devastation, they discovered a sealed jar of pure olive oil bearing the seal of the high priest.

Although it only contained enough oil to light the menorah in one day, the small vessel burned for eight days – just long enough to produce new oil under conditions of ritual purity.

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If only today’s leaders showed as much commitment to the purity of their goals.

This miracle of light in the midst of darkness resonates today with the families who hold on to hope, who light candles at rallies and who refuse to let the light of hope for the return of their loved ones go out – even when their government seems to do otherwise makes it a priority.

Like the Maccabees, who refused to accept defeat despite overwhelming odds, these families continue to insist on their demands for action, for negotiations, and for the return of their people, even as weeks turn into months of agonizing waiting.

Just as that little jar of oil defied all expectations to keep the lights burning in the temple, the families of the hostages are keeping their own flame of hope alive, pushing for negotiations despite the endless barrage of excuses and delays and refusing to let the world to make those who remain in captivity forget.

Every year at Hanukkah, when Jews light the menorah, they place it in their windows as a public declaration of the miracle of light overcoming darkness.

This year, these lights shine alongside yellow ribbons, posters with the faces of the hostages and the places left for them. Every flame is a bitter reminder of government inaction, every candle an indictment of those who could do more but choose not to.

The miracle of Hanukkah came about through divine intervention – but today’s families shouldn’t have to wait for a miracle if human action could bring their loved ones home.

The author is deputy editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post.



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