YJC Chanukah Message The major themes to the Chanukah story and miracles are so profound that they will always resonate within any time period. However, this year 2 specific ones jump out at us and should strengthen our resolve to be as Maccabean as possible! The Iranian threat: With the very recent momentous agreement reached with the Obama Administration, the Iranians will now be able to further advance their attempts to destroy the State of Israel and to attempt to murder as many Jewish souls as possible (G-d forbid!) through their continued (now agreeed upon) development of their nuclear program. On Hanukah we add a special section describing Chanukah into the Amidah prayer that is recited thrice daily. Part of that insertion contains the words: You delivered...the many into the hands of the few... With Irans population of over 75 million, not to mention their allies in Syria and Hezbollah, as compared to Israels roughly 6 million Jews, we are certainly in need of some serious divine assistance. Once again, when it comes to saving Jewish lives, the worlds priorities seem to be elsewhere. The continued attack on the legitimacy (Obamas term) of the Jewish Presence in Judea and Samaria, as well as Jerusalem: The historical events of Hanukah all took place in the Land of Israel - this is why we recite the special Hallel psalms throughout the entire holiday. But more specifically, the overwhelming majority of battles and events took place in areas that are currently referred to by the US Administration and others as occupied. As Israeli cabinet minister, Naphtali Bennett recently pointed out to Christianne Amanpour of CNN (algemeiner/2013/11/19/israels-econ-minister-bennett-schools-cnns-amanpour-over-use-of-term-occupied-territories-video/) and others, the Jewish People cannot occupy our own land that weve lived on for thousands of years! As opposed to other important Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Passover and Purim, Hanukah is the quintessential Land of Israel holiday, and more specifically, the Judea and Samaria holiday. Someone should tell this to President Obama and Secretary Kerry when they light the Menorah at the White House - in reality, they will actually be commemorating historic Jewish military victories and habitation in the very area from which they are now attempting to forcibly evict Jews. The America Jewish Community needs Macabbees and there are none more qualified and willing than those affiliated with Young Jewish Conservatives (YJC)! We must continue to take leadership positions throughout the Jewish communal world, both within political as well as religious organizations, and lead the fight! No longer should the liberal jewish establishment speak for American Jews, and certainly not exclusively! Our flagship program, Yameena Israel Fellowships, is proud to visit the controversial places where the battles of Hanukah happened - places like Shilo and Itamar. But we must strive to influence all Jewish trips to Israel to visit these places as well. We of course go to Hevron, but so should Birthright and other programs! We are the ones that can make this happen! Happy Hanukah!
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 17:26:28 +0000
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