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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!
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Anti-Zionist Student Government President Convicted of Misconduct, Removed from Office at U of Michigan
University of Michigan PhD student, center, carries a sign that says ‘Free Speech! Free Palestine!’ at U-M’s Diag in Ann Arbor on April 4, 2024. Photo: Junfu Huan via Reuters Connect
The Central Student Government (CSG) of the University of Michigan has removed from office president Alifa Chowdhury — the controversial leader of the Anti-Zionist “Shut It Down” (SID) party who led a failed and unpopular effort to freeze funding for student clubs until school officials enacted a boycott of Israel — following her conviction on an impeachment charge.
Chowdhury faced three charges in total: incitement to violence, defamation, and dereliction of duty, the last of which she was found guilty on Dec. 23, according to a statement issued by the Central Student Judiciary (CSJ). Her vice president, Elias Atkinson, was convicted of the same offense.
“Today’s decision means that President Chowdhury and Vice President Atkinsonare removed from office with immediate effect, and that they are barred from holding CSG office in the future,” CSJ said, noting that its ruling marked the first ever expulsion of a CSG president. “It is not lost on us that today marks the culmination of the first impeachment proceeding in the Central Student Government’s history. Neither are we blind to the major political clashes — both within the Assembly and between the legislative and executive branches … But our decision today, and this court’s role, is beyond politics.”
It continued, “Impeachment is a constitutional process, an important element of CSG’s system of checks and balances. Although the Assembly’ role in triggering the impeachment process is essentially political, it is this court’s unflagging duty to resolve any impeachment process neutrally and impartially once the starter pistol has gone off. This court must be a steady ship in a sea tossed by raucous political winds.”
As The Algemeiner has previously reported, Chowdhury’s anti-Zionist zealotry led her to allegedly commit several disqualifying acts which blighted her office and shocked her CSG representatives. In the articles of impeachment filed by Rep. Margaret Peterman, the now-former president was described as having “gravely endangered” students — for example, by participating in a protest of CSG which led to threats and an assault by spitting — as well as the “integrity of the democratic system.” She also failed to perform key functions of the presidency, including submitting reports, preparing committee members for their roles, and convening meetings with CSG’s executive council — a pattern of neglect which led to her conviction for dereliction of duty.
The takeover of CSG by Chowdhury’s party, SID, in March led to a historically dysfunctional administration, prompting the involvement of school officials at key moments when its brinksmanship threatened to derail core functions of the university. In August, the administration resolved to fund student clubs over Chowdhury and SID’s objections, effectively stripping the new government of the power of the purse. Explaining the intervention to The Algemeiner at the time, university spokesperson Colleen Mastony said it was prompted by Chowdhury’s “senior” colleagues in the CSG Assembly.
Founded in the months after Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, SID allegedly committed multiple election code infractions to amass its unprecedented power. According to The Michigan Daily, students banded together to contest its election victory, citing multiple instances in which its members campaigned in proscribed areas and violated other rules regulating the use of posters and email communications. SID ultimately overcame the challenge following a controversial hearing which the student government, breaking precedent, conducted in secret.
After assuming power, Chowdury defunded the school’s 1,700 student clubs by vetoing the summer term budget, which had been “unanimously” supported by the CSG Assembly, and vowed to block any spending bill that would fund them in the fall term. The measure was, in SID’s view, strategic. It argued during the campaign that crippling university operations would inexorably lead to a boycott of Israel, a notion the university dispelled when it appropriated the funds anyway.
“CSG merely serves as an extension of an institution that has perpetuated systems of oppression by maintaining the current status quo of neocolonial capitalism,” the party said in a manifesto issued in March. “Every dollar coming out of this university is blood money. Student government cannot operate as usual as we witness the systematic murder of Palestinians. Student life cannot continue as normal when our tuition and labor are being used to fund a genocide.”
Those ideals manifested in the misconduct which have now disqualified Chowdhury and her vice president from ever holding a CSG position again.
“Today’s ruling is compelled by the All-Campus Constitution and the evidence,” the Central Student Judiciary said in explaining the convictions. “Our conclusions are a result of dozens of pages of briefing, the various evidentiary exhibits, and all the testimony and argument we heard over the course of a twenty two and a half hour hearing. Whatever political consequences might flow from our decision, we can only do our jobs.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Anti-Zionist Student Government President Convicted of Misconduct, Removed from Office at U of Michigan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Flag Burned Outside Stadium in Spain Before Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball Game
An Israeli flag being burned outside the Gran Canaria Arena located in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain, ahead of a basketball game with Hapoel Tel Aviv. Photo: YouTube screenshot
Anti-Israel demonstrators set fire to an Israeli flag outside a sports arena in Spain’s Canary Islands, leading up to a basketball game featuring the Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv that is set to take place at the arena on Thursday.
Activists from the pro-Palestinian group Canarias Insumisa set the Israeli flag on fire outside the Gran Canaria Arena in Las Palmas, the local news outlet Canraia Ahora reported on Tuesday. The move was in protest of Israel’s military actions during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, and also in objection to the EuroCup basketball game taking place on Thursday at the Gran Canaria Arena between Hapoel Tel Aviv and the local team Gran Canaria.
The pro-Palestinian group claimed that the upcoming basketball game whitewashes the “genocide” that Israel is committing against the Palestinian people. The group also falsely accused Israel of murdering “47,000 girls, boys, women and men in one year” during its war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza who orchestrated the deadly terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Canrais Ahora called on local fans not to attend the basketball game on Thursday, claiming that Israeli fans of Hapoel Tel Aviv may try to provoke them. The group described Hapoel Tel Aviv fans as “aggressive Nazi-Zionist hooligan fanatics who will try to provoke, create conflicts and attack the followers of the Canarian team,” according to the news outlet Canraia Ahora. The group also criticized the owner of Gran Canaria, claiming he had the chance to prevent the local Spanish team from competing against Hapoel Tel Aviv, but refused to do so.
The flag burning took place almost two months after fans of the Israeli soccer team Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv were attacked in Amsterdam on Nov. 7 and into the early hours of Nov. 8. Five men behind the premeditated and coordinated attack were sentenced in Dutch court late last month to community service and up to six months in jail.
The post Israeli Flag Burned Outside Stadium in Spain Before Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball Game first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Ford Motor Says X Account Was ‘Compromised’ by Anti-Israel Hackers Who Posted ‘Free Palestine’
Ford vehicles are displayed at the New York International Auto Show Press Preview, in Manhattan, New York City, US, March 27, 2024. Photo: Reuters/David Dee Delgado/
The Ford Motor Company said on Monday that its official account on X was “briefly compromised” by hackers who posted a series of anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian messages, including one that called Israel a “terrorist state.”
“Our X account was briefly compromised and three posts were made that were not authorized or posted by Ford,” the company said in a statement shared on its X account. The American automobile manufacturer added that the posts “do not represent the views of [the] Ford Motor Company” and that together with X, the company is investigating the breach of its social media account.
The posts, which have since been deleted, included messages that said, “Israel is a terrorist state,” “Free Palestine” and “ALL EYES ON GAZA.” Hundreds of users on X reposted the messages and thousands “liked” them before they were removed. Many users on X noticed that Ford’s account had been hacked and took screenshots of the posts before they were deleted, including US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who said Ford’s account “must have been hacked by the Free Palestine movement.”
Ford Motor Company must have been hacked by the Free Palestine movement. pic.twitter.com/4VOk1nPy0n
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 30, 2024
Several users on X replied to Ford Motor’s statement by expressing frustration at the company’s lack of apology. Rabbi Samuel Stern, who co-chairs the Kansas State Holocaust Commemoration, asked, “I wonder if the unauthorized posts targeted anyone else if you would have apologized?”
“Companies founded by a notorious Antisemite and headquartered in Dearborn Michigan should really come up with a better apology to the Jewish community than this one,” said Joel Petlin, superintendent of the Kiryas Joel School District in Orange County, New York.
In 2023, Dearborn, Michigan, was the largest city in the US with an Arab-American majority, according to the University of Michigan.
The company’s founder, the late Henry Ford, publicly expressed antisemitic views and promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories. A close friend once recalled Ford attributing “all evil to Jews or to the Jewish capitalists,” and said he told others: “The Jews caused the war, the Jews caused the outbreak of thieving and robbery all over the country, the Jews caused the inefficiency of the navy.”
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