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How I’m thinking about Hanukkah when Israel is at war — and campus tensions are high
(JTA) — Last summer, I became a chaplain at Brown University, a campus at which a celebration of the uniqueness of every student is embedded in our culture, where we pride ourselves on bringing students together in creative and unexpected ways.
That means this is my first Hanukkah on campus. And what a time: Two months after the darkest day in contemporary Jewish history, some Jewish students are feeling singled out for publicly supporting Israel’s military action in Gaza. Some are feeling unwelcome in institutional Jewish spaces because they do not identify with the word “Zionist.” Some Jewish and Arab students have shared that they have felt as if they were tiptoeing, seeking to find peers with whom they could mourn for all people in Israel-Palestine who have been assaulted or murdered and express horror at the trauma that is ongoing.
Many students have described strains in relationships with people with whom they disagree. Some students have shared their discomfort walking on campus in clothing that is associated with Palestinian or Jewish culture, and some students have expressed concern or disappointment about how staff, faculty, administrators and other stakeholders have used their power, platforms or resources.
Now, as we light the first candle, students with family or friends serving in the IDF may feel connected to the military themes of the holiday like never before. And other students may struggle to find light, as they show up hand in hand with their Israeli and Palestinian families and friends trying to find light of their own.
When I reflect on productive discomfort, a concept I learned from Ruth Messinger, one of this generation’s great Jewish lights, I notice that I, like many of us, often find myself in a conversation in which the discomfort no longer feels so productive. It is tempting to put up a boundary or just walk away. What I have been sharing with my students is that when I feel myself hitting a wall or wanting to walk away, I try to push myself to ask one more question, and then to do my best to listen to their answer with an open heart.
How I teach Hanukkah to a 3-year-old — perhaps toppling a dozen blocks that I have built to represent the Second Temple — is different from how I teach it to adults, perhaps analyzing the context of Jewish farmers living in the land of Israel grappling with the Greek empire’s focus on the polis.
There have been multiple layers of the Hanukkah story. The Talmud acknowledges Hanukkah’s military victory but uses the Hebrew word nes, miracle, to describe the small amount of oil lasting seven days longer than expected — transforming a national holiday marking a military victory into a Jewish holiday celebrating the triumph of faith. Prayers in the synagogue service and the blessing after meals expand the language of miracles into redemption and heroism, salvation, military might and comfort — a lofty list, all of which hold contemporary resonance.
Some 800 years ago, Maimonides taught that if we have not lit Hanukkah candles of our own yet see someone else’s Hanukkah candles, we still say the blessing “she’asah nissim,” giving thanks for the miracles wrought for our ancestors in days of old at this time. We are not only invited to publicize the miracle in each generation by making our hanukkiyot visible from the street, but perhaps saying a blessing when we see someone else’s candles helps shape the holiday for each person, in each generation. In the United States, a seemingly minor holiday took on new meaning in the gift-giving season of Christmas; in Israel, the ancient military narrative of the few against the many was familiar once again in 1948.
The more I learn about the historical Hanukkah of 2,200 years ago, the less I imagine it as a struggle between “us” and “them,” between “Brave Judah the Maccabee” and “Bad King Antiochus.” The “outsiders” in this story were mostly other Jews against whom the Maccabees were fighting in a civil war. Although our prayers associate the Maccabees with a victorious Hasmonean dynasty, the leadership they established would be associated with power consolidation and corruption within just a few generations; Rabbi Daniel Levine has noted that, with hindsight, rabbinic tradition minimizes the role of the Maccabees. So, what does “winning” really mean in the long term when binaries begin to break down, when “us vs. them” is not a sufficient description?
Unlike its parallel holiday of Purim a few months later, there is no requirement to tell the story of Hanukkah word by word the way that the public reading of the Megillah, the Scroll of Esther is part of many people’s Purim practices. No hearing the shofar. No telling the story of the Exodus.
But even though there is no “requirement” to tell the Hanukkah story, I hope we remember that flames are symbols of the human soul, and that as we increase the light each night, we find opportunities not only to tell our Hanukkah stories but to hear the stories of other people as well. We might start by reconnecting with someone with whom we have lost touch, but we should also make an effort to hear the story of someone with whom we might disagree so strongly that it feels easier simply not to listen to their story at all. Easier is not always better, nor does it necessarily bring an enduring solution.
This week our students will gather around campus with their friends, light the menorah, eat foods fried in oil and tell Hanukkah stories on their own terms, stories that some may have learned in preschool and some they are starting to encounter for the first time as Jewish young adults.
My wishes for all of us this Hanukkah 5784 are opportunities to connect with others in ways that are creative and challenging, in ways that surprise us, and in ways that center our ongoing senses of curiosity and wonder in this season of light — may it increase beyond these eight nights.
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Miracles Then and Now
A page of Talmud. Photo: Chajm Guski/Wikimedia
JNS.org – Would you believe that it took a whole year for Chanukah to be recognized as a bona fide Jewish festival?
But it’s true. Here’s a quote straight out of the Talmud in Shabbos (21a). After telling the basic Chanukah story, the Talmud adds, “The next year, the Sages established those days and made them holy days with the recitation of Hallel and special thanksgiving prayers and blessings.”
Why did they wait a whole year? Surely, everyone saw then and there, with their own eyes, the great miracle of the one jug of oil that lasted eight days, and the astounding military victory of a bunch of untrained priests taking on the vastly superior Greek army and defeating them. Why did it take a year for Chanukah to be accepted as a festival worthy of an annual celebration?
It would appear that our sages understood that enthusiasm can evaporate rather easily with the passage of time. The excitement and inspiration of the miraculous Maccabean victory could have faded and been forgotten all too soon. That’s why they deliberately waited to see if the people would still be inspired by the previous year’s miracle. When they saw that the inspiration was indeed being sustained, they proudly proclaimed the “Festival of Lights,” and Chanukah became a Yom Tov for posterity.
Have we not seen it in our own generation? Israel has experienced miracles of biblical proportions such as its victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, the hostage rescue at Entebbe in 1976, and, recently, the failed Iranian missile attacks and the astonishing success of the pager explosions against Hezbollah this past year.
These were all incredible miracles of the highest order, but it’s all old news already. We were in awe momentarily, and now it’s all taken for granted. We give credit to Tzahal, the Mossad and all of Israel’s brilliant minds who took part in these efforts, as well as the brave forces on the ground and in the air—as we should. But with all their talents, a million things could have gone wrong. The fact that it all went so smoothly surely points to a higher force beyond our control.
It’s no different in business, communal work or marriage. It doesn’t take long for the initial excitement to fade away and the humdrum of routines to set in, gradually leading to disillusionment and then, all too quickly, to dissolution.
It’s interesting that God chose His very first revelation to Moses to be at the Burning Bush. Miraculously, the bush was covered in flames, but it would not be consumed. What a lesson to the new leader.
Don’t ever get burned out! You’re becoming a leader now. You will have to deal with Pharaoh and his Egyptian superpower, the evil Amalek and other warrior nations who will attack you. And Jews aren’t the easiest to deal with either. Your own people will complain about all sorts of things, justifiable or not. Even a mutiny or two will be on your agenda. But remember the bush, Moses. Learn from the bush. Keep the fire burning!
In the Chanukah story, our people remained inspired and on a spiritual high all that year. The light of the menorah never dimmed, and their enthusiasm never waned. When the sages saw this, they ruled that the events of a year ago were now worthy of being commemorated annually and becoming fixed in the Jewish calendar forever.
Chanukah means “dedication.” The Maccabees rededicated our holy Temple after the Greeks defiled it. Throughout this next week, if we rededicate ourselves to kindling the lights of our menorahs around the world, then our own celebrations will likewise be granted the blessings of posterity and eternity.
We live in traumatic but miraculous times. Big things are happening in the world, and we really do have reasons to hope for a new world order where Israel and the Jewish people will be safe and respected.
May we remember all the miracles we have been privileged to experience. May there be no burn-out, no weakness and no faltering as we progress to the finishing line. May we remain fiery and faithful in the service of our God and our people, illuminate the darkness of our world and usher in the lighting of a new menorah in a rebuilt Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Amen.
Chanukah Sameach!
The post Miracles Then and Now first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Missile Strikes Alone Will Not Defeat the Houthis
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
JNS.org – For two consecutive nights on Dec. 24 and 25, 2024, air raid sirens sent millions of Israelis for cover as the Houthi terror regime in Yemen each day fired a ballistic missile at the country.
Israel’s Arrow system intercepted those missiles, but before dawn on Dec. 21, a Houthi attack reportedly featured a re-entry warhead capable of maneuvering following separation from its engine. That missile was not intercepted and crashed into a Ramat Gan school. No one was injured as it was well before the school day.
Despite the IDF’s previous precision strikes on Yemeni energy infrastructure and ports, the threat persists. This suggests that additional offensive measures such as missiles may be necessary.
However, warned Israeli Navy Cmdr. (res.) Eyal Pinko, a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, missile attacks alone will not be sufficient to end the threat.
“In my assessment, the Houthi leadership has gone underground. Their infrastructure, like missile bases and weapons storage sites, can be attacked [with missiles]. This will cause damage, but it won’t be enough to subdue them,” he told JNS on Wednesday.
According to Pinko, who also served in an intelligence organization, “We need a much more massive attack from the air and sea. The maritime threat has to be lifted, and not only their missile array. Since the Saudis and Egyptians struck them from the air for a duration of eight years and did not succeed in subduing them, I doubt that hitting them with missiles alone will succeed, including striking their infrastructure.”
Over the past 14 months, the Houthis have launched hundreds of missiles and UAVs targeting Israel. These attacks not only violate international law, but also pose a clear and ongoing threat to regional security and stability. In response, Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi ports and energy infrastructure, showcasing the IDF’s long-range operational capabilities. However, the strikes also highlighted their inherent limitations.
2,000 kilometers
There are logistical and operational challenges associated with IAF missions over 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) away against an elusive enemy like the Houthis. As explained last week by IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, these operations demand significant intelligence preparation, operational coordination, and time for implementation. For instance, the IAF strike on Dec. 19 required two separate waves of attacks involving 14 fighter jets and multiple aircraft types.
While the IDF has refined its ability to carry out such missions, these operations cannot match the speed and immediacy that missiles offer.
As it is impossible to prepare and execute an airstrike within minutes of receiving actionable intelligence or an order from manned aircraft, complementing the IAF’s impressive capabilities with missile firepower seems like a logical step. A missile-based attack system would enable Israel to launch immediate, weather-agnostic strikes in response to emerging threats. Furthermore, a ground-based missile corps would have a small maintenance and operational footprint without endangering aircrews.
Pinko added that it is critical to sever the Houthis’ supply line from Iran, to attack Sanaa, and to completely paralyze all of the Houthi infrastructure.
In recent years, the Houthi arsenal has grown increasingly sophisticated, with Iranian support playing a key role in transforming its ballistic and cruise missile capabilities. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spent over a decade ensuring that proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis possess advanced precision-guided weaponry, effectively creating a surrogate “air force.”
A large-scale attack on the Houthis, Pinko emphasized, “has to be a joint Israeli, American, British, Saudi and Egyptian operation.”
Israeli missiles, if they are acquired, alone may not be sufficient, but they can help further diversify Israel’s offensive toolkit. A missile corps would not only complement the IAF, but also provide options for rapid response and degrading Houthi infrastructure with minimal operational delays.
The post Missile Strikes Alone Will Not Defeat the Houthis first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Judenrein’ Hollywood? The Troubling Trend in Jewish Representation
Woody Allen. Photo: David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons.
JNS.org – Every year, as Hollywood shuts down for the winter holidays, an unassuming list makes its way into executive inboxes. “The Black List,” as it has been known for the last two decades, ranks the most popular unproduced screenplays of the year, according to the executives and producers who read them.
Getting a screenplay on this list can be a career-defining moment for a screenwriter. Ranking near the top of the list can fast-track a project to production. Many “Black List” screenplays have been produced, and a notable percentage have gone on to win Oscars. For a screenwriter like me, the list is a valuable source of industry intel. What stories are execs responding to this year? Who are the agents and managers shepherding these scripts?
I always scan the list for the kinds of stories that I like to write—elevated genre fare, mostly, as well as Jewish content. Without being able to read the screenplays themselves, I can only make my assessments of the screenplays based on the short loglines that describe them. The list usually includes some films with overtly Jewish content, typically Holocaust dramas or stories that center on antisemitism. This year, in the long shadow of the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, I was particularly curious to see how Hollywood’s selective appetite for Jewish fare might have shifted. Here’s what I found.
Almost nothing.
Not even the usual clichés of Holocaust survival or the Jewish high-achiever biopic.
I found only one logline that might have some Jewishness to it. A script called “Bridgehampton” by Jeremy Leder. Here’s the logline: “Recently dumped Ezra Green accidentally brings a terminally ill woman home to Bridgehampton for a long weekend with his eccentric family. Don’t judge—he needs to cope with his estranged father who just got out of white-collar prison.”
The stereotypical Jewish coding here goes far beyond Ezra’s name. He’s “recently dumped” and “accidentally” brings a terminally ill woman home. So, he’s nebbish and inept, particularly when it comes to his relationships with women, see the persona popularized by Woody Allen. He’s from the Hamptons, so obviously he’s wealthy. His family is “eccentric” (read: “Jewish” and “other.”) And his father just got out of white-collar prison (“financial crimes,” Bernie Madoff, anyone?)
I don’t want to cast aspersions on Leder’s screenplay. For all I know, the story draws from his own lived experiences, and it might be a valuable piece of a diverse Jewish tapestry. But that this might be the only Jewish story that Hollywood execs found compelling enough to include on the “Black List” this year speaks volumes about the industry’s skittishness around Jewish content.
This may be the most Judenrein list I’ve seen, but the trend of avoiding Jewish stories is almost as old as Hollywood itself. The industry’s founders famously shied away from approving Jewish films for fear of drawing attention to their own Jewish identities. A generation later, it took decades for a mainstream film to depict the Holocaust (Sidney Lumet’s “The Pawnbroker”), and even then, it was only in brief flashbacks. In our era of diversity initiatives and calls for fair and favorable representation of minorities in media, Jews are portrayed through the narrowest possible lens. A recent groundbreaking study from the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center quantifies this, noting that the vast majority of Jewish characters are portrayed as white, presumably Ashkenazi, in high-powered professions with little or no religious affiliation. Orthodox Jews fare worse, often being portrayed as “other.”
This monochromatic depiction of Jews in popular entertainment is having serious and significant consequences. Perceptions that Jews have wealth and power drive antisemitic conspiracy theories—theories that might be countered by more stories about working-class Jews. The impression that all Jews are white Europeans plays a big role in the anti-Israel “colonialist” narrative—a narrative that might be undermined by more stories about Jews from Arab lands. Dehumanizing depictions of Orthodox or Chassidic Jews as a backward “other” makes it easier for people to brazenly attack those Jews on the streets of New York—attacks that might be mitigated if those Jews were portrayed and, consequently, seen as friends, neighbors, co-workers or fellow citizens.
A dramatic change is required in the way that Jews are portrayed in popular entertainment. But that change will not come from Hollywood. Those very executives who voted on the “Black List” scripts grew up on the same media stereotypes as the rest of the country. Their perceptions of Jews, even if they, themselves, are Jewish, derive at least in part from Hollywood itself. To break Hollywood’s Jewish mold and expand the palette of Jewish representation, we need to demonstrate the potential of those stories outside of the industry’s centers of power. Fortunately, this is already beginning to happen.
Independent filmmakers like Daniel Robbins are finding ways to push their Jewish stories onto the screen. His hysterical “Bad Shabbas” won the audience award at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Nonprofits like the Maimonides Fund are also putting resources into the creation of Jewish-forward narrative entertainment and into professional development programs like the Jewish Writers’ Initiative Screenwriters Lab, which provides funding, industry access, and a supportive framework for screenwriters to write new, Jewish screenplays.
It’s a great start, but more needs to be done.
If we want Hollywood to invest in diverse Jewish stories, we must first invest in them ourselves. Jewish federations should create their own Jewish film funds to support local filmmakers. Synagogue groups and denominational organizations should do the same to help lift their own stories onto the screen. Most importantly, we all must do as much as we can to help amplify the Jewish content that does, by some miracle, get produced. It’s up to us to demonstrate to Hollywood that Jewish content, full of real, authentic, diverse Jewish voices, is a worthwhile investment. We must be the champions of our own stories.
The post ‘Judenrein’ Hollywood? The Troubling Trend in Jewish Representation first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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