Chanukah is the story of a Jewish army regaining control of the nation’s holiest site and reasserting sovereignty and autonomy in a Jewish land. Chanukah is, in short, the most ardently Zionist holiday in the Jewish calendar. So it is tragically hilarious that so many are using this holiday to call for the end of the Jewish state.
The media and the Jew-haters’ favorite token Jews lit a menorah in Columbus Circle on the first night of Chanukah. The nine-foot menorah had the word “ceasefire” emblazoned in lights, signifying the ridiculousness of trying to conflate radical Leftist ideology with Judaism.
For those who need reminding, a ceasefire would literally be a Chanukah gift to Hamas. It would give time for Hamas to rearm and continue to subjugate their own people until it decides to strike again. There was a ceasefire on October 6. After October 7, Hamas has shot over 11,500 rockets towards civilian areas in Israel. 11% of those struck Gaza. Hamas steals aid given by Israel to Gazan civilians. Hamas blocked the roads for civilians to escape. Hamas embeds itself in the civilian population. These are the people these activists are trying to help.
Organizing the event is the typical lineup of Leftist Jewish organizations, who are far more leftist than they are Jewish. Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow were the organizers and sponsors of the event. Speaking at the event was rabid anti-Semite Linda Sarsour.
“What I will tell you is that you are a people of courage,” Sarsour said. “We resist those who want to divide our communities.” The assumption is that Sarsour laughed loudly at the stupidity of these Jewish groups for allowing themselves to be used by her ilk.
Sarsour wasn’t the only anti-Semite using Chanukah for her political and genocidal agenda. Rashida Tlaib took a moment away from her justification of the genocide of Jews to write, “Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish neighbors in #12thDistrictStrong and beyond.” Tlaib didn’t get the message that Chanukah shows that Jews predated Muslims in Israel by over a thousand years, and that the capital of the Jewish homeland is Jerusalem, where the Temple stood.
Ayanna Presley wished the same, and added that “The celebration carries extra meaning for so many this year, and I wish everyone light, joy, and peace this holiday season.” She’s right, but not in the way she intended. The extra meaning that Chanukah carries this year is a reaffirmation of Jewish identity and sovereignty.
Some Hamas supporters did get the memo regarding the meaning of Chanukah, which is why a menorah was desecrated this weekend. A large menorah adjacent to the Yale campus had a Palestinian flag draped on it by a masked protester. The message couldn’t be more obvious: Supplant Israel and Jewish identity with Palestine. Yale condemned the action.
In St. Louis, Cori Bush was the guest of honor for the Chanukah lighting hosted by progressive Jews for St. Louis, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow. Bush, who got her start in the BLM movement, has been one of the most ardent Israel haters in Congress. In response to her post, the Israel War Room account replied, “Chanukah is the most overtly Zionist holiday on the Jewish calendar and you are a clown.”
Like when the Rabbis for Ceasefire skipped over the part of the Torah when Hashem promised the Land of Israel to Avraham’s descendants because it was too embarrassing for them, so too do these Judaism-hating Jews ignore the miracle of Chanukah for their own purposes. Alissa Wise, founder of Rabbis for Ceasefire, claimed that Chanukah was really about the miracle of the oil, not the military victory. Another instance in a long list of examples is that these “rabbis’” understanding of Judaism is comparable to the average Orthodox kindergartener.
These Jew-haters will try to take away the essence of Jewish identity until its nothing but a hollow shell, which is what they did with the university system, media, government, and everything else they’ve touched. The Jewish nation must use this holiday - and all others - to reaffirm the commitment to the meaning of the holiday, not what others want it to mean.
Moshe Hill is a political columnist and Senior Fellow at Amariah, an America First Zionist organization. Moshe has a weekly column in the Queens Jewish Link, and has been published in Daily Wire, CNS News, and other outlets. You can follow Moshe on his blog www.aHillwithaView.com, facebook.com/aHillwithaView, and twitter.com/HillWithView. A Hill With a View is now on YouTube! Subscribe today to get the latest content. Just search “A Hill with a View” to get started. Get A Hill with a View directly to your inbox! Text HILLVIEW to 22828 to sign up to the newsletter.
