A brief history of the conflict between Israel and the Arabs

This post has been inspired by a column I read on Gay Conservative Liberal's website. He believed there must be a reason Israel is hated, because it is hated so much! This is what I replied to him in a comment...

You are far off the mark in this one. Think of it this way. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust. According to you, there "must have been a reason." You fail to realize some people hate just because they are taught to hate from birth. That is the only reason, and the reason why we have an intractable problem with regards to the Israeli Arab conflict.A longer time frame of the conflict can be found on the Myths and Facts website.

To give you a long story short: there have been pogroms and attacks against Jews for thousands of years. But specifically, these attacks increased during the 20th century, under the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. After the Holocaust, Israel was offered a state, as were the Palestinians, by the UN. The Palestinians, under the Mufti (who was an architect for Hitler's Final Solution), rejected the partition plan. This plan was to have an Israel on land which was majority Jewish due to immigration before and after the Holcaust.

Instead of accepting this state, the Palestinians (a people which did not exist at the time, and are not a seperate ethnicity from Jordanians any more than New Yorkers or New Jerseyians are seperate ethnicities) waged war upon Israel, and attempted a genocide after the Holocaust...and lost. Prior to the Israeli Arab conflict, 'refugees' were not defined as people who are part of a group that attempted a genocide and then lost.

Since 1948 (the founding of the state), the Palestinians and Arabs in general have refused to accept any state of Israel on any land at all. Instead, there has been constant terror attacks against Israel.

In 1967, there was an attempted annihilation of Israel, which was defeated in the Six Day War. This is how Israel won the Sinai, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza. In response, Israel attempted to give this land - won in a defensive war - back. All they wanted was peace and recognition. Instead, in Khartoum, they got the famous "three Nos" - no peace, no recognition, no negotiations. source Since then, the jihad has not ceased. The 'two state solution' was proposed first in Oslo, only to find out that Arafat did not truly intend two states - he wanted jihad. (Abbas has not proven different) And Hamas is even further radical.The past eight years have witnessed eight years of rockets against Israel, and nary a response. Finally Israel is defending itself, and doing so in the most pinpointed way possible.

I say this war is not only justified, but necessary. If Israel does not go after Hamas in Gaza, and fails to defend the South of Israel, they lose all right to call themselves a state. The primary duty of a state is to defend its citizens.

To sum up, if you want to know the root of this conflict, read about the history of jihad. That is what this conflict is about.

As an aside, for gay reasons to support Israel, I highly suggest you read the attached link, which discusses why it is the gay thing to do to support Israel!

The History of Antisemitism

I have posted on a message board for many years about the dual subjects of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and politics. (Yes, really.) On that message board, the subject of antisemitism came up, and the following things were claimed...

1. Jews were in some way responsible for antisemitism throughout history, via the laws of 'family purity,' and separation.
2. Antisemitism as such is not that big a deal today, in the modern world, and other forms of racism are bigger deals.
3. Antisemitism was not really a bigger deal throughout history than anything else.

So I wrote this in reply...

---

You are basing your responses on so much misinformation I do not even know where to begin.

I will begin with this. You begin with the premise that maybe maybe maybe Jews "did something" to instigate the Holocaust. No one is completely innocent, eh? So they "did something;" they enforce ritual purity and live separately and despise the "goyim," and so therefore, they brought on the antisemitism themselves.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Jews were forced to live in ghettos of Europe (and also the Mideast, via 'dhimmi' laws) for centuries. They had no CHOICE in the matter. They were literally forced to live separately, they were barred from owning land, and they were barred from most professions. (see link on Jews of Middle Ages) As a result, some Jews - a small minority of them - went into finance only because it was one of the only professions open to them. Thus begun the nonsensical lie about Jews controlling the banks. But I have more. Kings knew that Jews were an easy target, so they made them tax collectors. Therefore, when it came time to pay taxes, "don't blame me, BLAME THE JEW!" Then there is the Christian antisemitic liturgies; Jews blamed for killing Christ, and "replacement theology." I forgot to add that Jews have the religious ritual of washing hands; as a result, they were dying less during the Black Death; this was held as "proof" that Jews were "witches" and/or responsible for starting the Black Death.

So this is the background; Jews were forced to live separately and despised for their Jewishness. They were called witches at different times of history and there were pogroms and mass murders. Jews were forced to flee country after country; thus there was the canard of the "wandering Jew." Then, in the early 1800s, Napoleon set about a sort of "Sanhedrin" council, and sought to free the Jews from the ghetto walls. He asked Jews: "Are you French, or are you Jewish?" And Jews answered that they were French. This led to the dawn of Reform Judaism, which rejects much of Halacha (Jewish law) in favour of "fitting in." They rejected the very laws you 'claim' were a 'factor' of the Holocaust.

And the Jew who simply wanted to live their lives and fit in was the Jew of Germany in the 1930s. The German Jew was generally the Reform Jew. So the very basis of your argument is ignorant at best.

But I will go on.

Hitler then targeted the Jews as a RACE. It was not about the Jewish religion. Orthodox Jews and atheist Jews were sent to the gas chambers alike. Hitler based the definition of Jew on whether there was a single Jewish grandparent. Christopher Hitchens, as an example, would be considered a Jew. Under that definition. Hitler saw Jews as a race that was clouding the superior "Aryan" race, and wanted to first expel them...but where to? None of the other "Western" and "enlightened" countries of the world would have them. Where would they go? 'Palestine' was thought to be an option at the time, except it was not an option, because the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem - Haj Amin al Husseini (involved in the founding of the PLO) - was an ally of Hitler's. He wanted 'Palestine' to be Judenrein, rather than as a safe haven for Jews. And he was an architect, with Eichmann, of the "Final Solution".

"Antisemitism" is not a hatred of the Jewish religion. "Antisemitism" is a hatred of the Jewish people (genetically). The term itself was made up by a German 'scientist' to coin an ideology that he felt should be spread.

But then that is the Holocaust. What about present day?

Let's examine present day. Let's examine the fact that in England - YOUR HOME COUNTRY - synagogues across England are not safe. And so there is an organization called CST - Community Service Trust - set up to protect Jews in ENGLAND. (not Iran, not Lebanon, not Morocco - ENGLAND) Let's talk about the fact that Jews - today - 2008 - suffer more hate crimes per capita than any other group in England. Let's talk about the fact that the number of hate crimes against Jews is actually rising. Let's talk about Ilan Halimi - the French Jew who was brutally massacred by Moroccan Muslims a few years ago for the 'crime' of being Jewish. Let's talk about the synagogue and graveyard desecrations. About the fact that there is a whole community of French Jews in New York, Israel, and Miami Beach who are there because they are fleeing France. Because they do not feel safe in France - 'enlightened' France. And let's ask ourselves who is behind these hate crimes. It quite simply are the 'aggrieved' "Asians" you speak of. THEY are the ones who are behind these hate crimes. There is a new antisemitism in Europe. And it is Islamic antisemitism. They use the old Christian antisemitic images and themes and make them Islamic. Or maybe it is not 'new,' insofar as it builds upon an alliance that existed during Hitler's era; alliances such as between the Grand Mufti, the Ba'ath party, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hitler.

Then let's talk about a friend of mine - a Lebanese Jew - who is on Nasrallah's death list. His 'crime' is being Jewish. He saw his cousin tortured to death by Syrian agents in front of his very eyes. And he decided that he had to refurnish and protect the Jewish graveyard that was vandalized - because his cousin, his sister, his uncle - his whole family - were buried there. So he protected and refurnished the graveyard. That was his 'crime.' And for that he had to flee Lebanon for his very life. Then let's talk about the fact that Lebanese Jews live in hiding in Lebanon. They LOVE the Land of Cedars and only want to live and let live. But Nasrallah and his Final Solution goons want to literally kill every single Jew of Lebanon. For the 'crime' of being Jewish. He also wants to kill every Jew on earth.

This is the mentality of the enemy that Israel faces. Israel faces an enemy that seeks to drive it into the sea, and has tried, non-stop, since its very foundation. And yet despite that, Israel has been more restrained than any other nation on earth in the history of the world in fighting these threats to its very existence. But that is not good enough. Because somehow, there is one standard given to Israel in how it should respond to threats, and another standard given to the rest of the world. Israel is asked to lay down and commit suicide. Unless Israelis walk softly to the gallows, they are committing some sort of a 'genocide'. That ideology is a latent antisemitism.

Antisemitism in fact does exist, and it is not merely some cute thing of the past. Israel has a duty to its citizenry to defend itself. And those who know better who claim Israel is acting 'contrary to international law' in simply defending its borders against genocidal monsters who wish to kill every Jew are guilty of antissemitism. And that is why, in response to that ideology, I say two words.

Never again.

Zions Fire

The Middle East: A History of Searching for Peace

1. From the Depths of Despair to the Heights of Exaltation
2. How Dark the Night
3. Can These Bones Live?
4. A Nation Reborn Through the Faithful Hand of G-d
5. The Peace Before the Storm

Part 4: A Nation Reborn Through the Faithful Hand of G-d

Written by: Marvin J. Rosenthal
Published in Zion’s Fire Magazine in September/October, 1993

With the United Nations’ resolution of November, 1947, Israel became a “paper” nation. Legally, Palestine was partitioned. The nations of the world had given Israel back a piece of the land that G-d had promised to Abraham and his posterity when He said, “Walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee” (Gen. 13:17). To be sure, what the United Nations gave was small – less than a fourth of the size which the British proposed in the mandate of 1917 – smaller than the state of New Jersey. But it was something – a land, a home, a place – to which the wandering Jew could return, be welcomed, and lay his head. But, could what was given in theory be sustained in practice? In 1948, there were only 640,000 Jews in all of Israel. The surrounding Arab nations had a combined population of over 80 million, and they threatened to drive the Jews into the Mediterranean Sea. There were only six months to prepare for the inevitable attack. The nearly 100,000 British troops, who had kept a shaky, uneven, largely pro-Arab peace, would then leave.

Many world leaders were agreed. If Israel declared herself a nation, the numerically superior and far-better-equipped Arabs would attack, and Israel would be stillborn. General George Marshall, America’s Secretary of State, counseled his friend, David Ben-Gurion, to bide his time until a more favorable political climate could develop for declaring Israel’s nationhood. Ben-Gurion, later reflecting on the general’s advice, said:

...Marshall could not know what we knew – what we felt in our very bones: that this was our historic hour; if we did not live up to it, through fear or weakness of spirit, it might be generations or even centuries before our people were given another historic opportunity – if indeed we would be alive as a national group.

On the 14th of May, 1948, Ben-Gurion, who would become Israel’s first Prime Minister, stood up in a hastily prepared movie theatre in Tel Aviv (because they did not possess Jerusalem), and declared Israel a nation among the nations of the world. On the 15th of May, the last of the British forces withdrew. The same day, six Arab nations – Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq – invaded Israel. They approached like a fistful of fingers that would close together and squeeze the life out of the infant state.

The invading armies had a carefully devised plan and a precise timetable. The Egyptians were to sweep up the coast from the south and then fork out. One force would take Jaffa-Tel Aviv along the Mediterranean Sea. The second force would join the Jordanian Arab legion and converge on Jerusalem. From the east, Iraqi troops would race westward across Palestine toward the Mediterranean to slice Israel in half. In the north, the Syrians and Lebanese would join forces to secure the Galilee and Haifa.

For the first month, battles raged up and down the land. The Jewish forces – initially without a tank, a fighter plane, or a field gun – suffered heavy casualties. The situation looked very grim. Through the efforts of the United Nations, a truce went into effect on June 11. It would only last until July 9. But, it gave Israel a month’s reprieve. It would prove to be all she needed.

[ Full Article ]

[ Video Source ]

Nissim Reuben at MJE

On Friday, Nissim Reuben came to speak at MJE. I attended the event with Irina, longdistancedancer, my dad, and other friends of mine. Mr. Reuben spoke of Jews in India, as well as the diplomatic connections between India and Israel. He mentioned that Gandhi was an antizionist, and this hurt the diplomatic ties between India and Israel for 40 years. Sadly, this manifests today in India's support for Iran. It is a grave concern of mine. India and Israel have been subtely friends for many years, particularly since Israel helped India win the 1999 Kargil War, and Israel helped India in 1962 its war with China. That said, diplomatic channels did not open until BJP was in power in 1992. Mr. Reuben stated that the connections between India and Israel have only become more deeply ingrained, even as Congress is now in power.

I am hoping that the event on Friday will only be a kick off to what I see as many future events between Jews and Indians. I see so much in common between Jews and Indians, and so much that can be learned from each other; hopefully in time others will come to my conclusion.

The future of Israel

When I was in Tel Aviv, after the Birthright Israel trip ended, I paid particular note to the graffiti lining the walls. I took pictures of it. But the most common graffiti I saw said "Am Yisrael Chai." This translates to "The People of Israel live."

The second most common graffiti I saw was in English, and it said "Know Hope." Here is an image of that:

I have been wrestling in my head with the issue of the Arab Israeli minority in Israel. To put things in context, African Americans are about 12% of the American population, and Arab Israelis are 20% of the Israeli population. And so the Arab Israeli issue cannot be ignored or swept under the rug, as it has been for too long. Please note that the birthrate for Arab Israelis is 4.0 per woman, compared to 2.7 per woman for Jewish Israelis. 25% of the new births in Israel are Arab Israelis. This is a demographic threat that will only get worse with time.

I was reading an Arab Israeli politician's website, and I was in horror, reading what he had to say. He said that for too long, the Arab Israeli nationality has been subjugated, and their history ignored. But now, evidently, the Arab Israelis are learning their own history and identifying with their nationality.

This is a horrifying problem.

What does this mean? It means that Arab Israelis are taught that May 14, 1948, is a day of mourning, not celebration. It means that there are essentially two Israels. It should also be noted that Arab Israelis receive a fraction of the funding for their schools, compared to Jews. And yet, funding their schools also means funding schools that are teaching something incompatible with Zionism.

Think about it. In the United States, there is no minority that learns that July 4 is a day of mourning. There is no minority that is taught in a different language.

And yet doing something about this problem necessarily means going against the priniciples of democracy and equality that we as Jews hold so dear to our hearts. However, not doing something about it also means sitting on a ticking time bomb. I do not believe that a bi-national state is a state that will be welcoming Jews for long. But moreover, a binational state is not a refuge for Jews, nor a Jewish homeland.

What should Israel do about this? I see the problem, but I do not see any clear solutions. The only politician even acknowledging the problem is Avigdor Lieberman, and he is advocating a radical solution: basically saying that all Israelis should sign loyalty oaths to Israel, and be required to join the IDF. Those who are not willing to join the IDF (Arab Israelis, but also Haredi Jews and peaceniks), do not get the benefits of citizenship. Is this the only way?

The solution that I came up with is to fully fund Arab Israeli schools, and to send Jewish Israeli teachers to teach the kids Zionism. There should be one education system, and one overarching culture that unites everyone. Without this, then there is no country, and Israel is a failure. And yet, after visiting Israel, I was struck by the following...I think that most Jewish Israelis really do not trust Arab Israelis, and believe that they are not loyal to the State of Israel. I think most Jewish Israelis believe that Arab Israelis must be hating themselves while they sing the Hatikvah. And I think that, because of what they are taught by their schools, parents, and mosques, perhaps that's true. But it doesn't have to be true.

For a nonJew to live in the first world country of Israel, and get to associate with Israelis - it's a positive, not a negative. Jewish culture, history, and philosophy has shaped the world, and it is to the benefit of a nonJew who is not a hater to live in the land of Israel.

I do believe that many Jewish Israelis believe it is a slap in the face for a nonJew to be singing the Hatikvah ("The Hope"). And yet, hope is what is required to keep us going each morning. Without hope, we perish and die. The concept of Israel as a refuge for Jews, as the hope of Jews, is not exclusive to Jewry. The Jewish people, individually, are not always the best people in the world. This is unfortunate. And yet, collectively, Jews have contributed to the world in a way that vastly exceeds their numbers. Jews have contributed to the fields of science, philosophy, the arts, and politics in a way that is fundamental to world civilization.

And so why wouldn't a nonJew want to live in Israel, and be sincere in the desire to contribute to this Jewish society?

The simple answer is hate. But hate is taught, hate is learned. Lest we forget, we are all born a tabula rasa, blank slate. And this is why Israelis should be doing all in their power to stamp out the seedlings of hate until they bloom into flowers that cover the entirety of Eretz Yisrael. I have come to believe that if Israel is not willing to fully fund Arab Israeli schools and teach them Israeli nationalism and pride, then perhaps Avigdor Lieberman's plan is what is necessary. But continuing down the current primrose path that Israel is taking simply is the road to perdition. I believe this more than ever, after reading the email a friend sent.

What do you all think?

Great Muslim: Tunisian Righteous Gentile

This is a heartwarming story. A Tunisian man was recently nominated as a Righteous Gentile Amongst the Nations, an honor bestowed upon non-Jews who helped out Jews during the Holocaust, by Yad Vashem. (the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem) This man, Khaled Abdelwahhab, is the first Arab to be nominated for this honor. Go read the story, written in Haaretz. This is an important story, and showcases how Jews and Muslims can get along, in spite of the world we live in today. No one is born evil or born hating, it is taught. Preventing the hatred from jelling in the impressionable minds of the youths today is more important than ever before.

Freedom of religion

The first amendment to the U.S. constitution states as follows:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

There have been controversies over what exactly this means pretty much since the text of the first amendment was written. One question is whether or not this nation was formed as a "Christian nation," and ifso, does that mean anything, and if not, on which intellectual foundation was this nation formed? Max Dimont, in his book "The Jews in America," has an interesting take on the intellectual foundation of the United States - he believes that in fact America was formed by Christians who modelled themselves after Jews. I never thought of things that way, but his arguments are compelling. Firstly, if you think back to high school Social Studies, you may remember talk about how the Puritans thought of their society in Massachusetts as a sort of "city upon a hill." Where did that phrase come from? It didn't occur to me that the "city upon a hill" meant Jerusalem until I actually visited Jerusalem and saw it as the requisite "city upon a hill." In fact, Jerusalem does rest on top of a hill, and I believe there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that the Puritans viewed their society in Massachusetts as a neo-Jerusalem. I am astounded that this aspect of things was really not discussed nor developed in my AP American History class in high school. It took a trip to Israel for me to realize the obvious. But there is more. The Pilgrims saw themselves as analogous to the Hebrews who fled the Pharoah, and America as their "promised land." They viewed the American Indians as akin to the Canaanites. And moreover, the society that was built in the United States does in some ways reflect the society that existed during the ancient days of the Kingdom of Israel. What was the government like back then? There was the king (aka, president), there was the Sanhedrin (akin to the modern American judiciary), and the "congregation of Israel" (legislature). The intellectual foundation of the United States may be rooted in ancient Greece and Rome, but it is absolutely also rooted in ancient Israel. I cannot fathom why this is ignored in American schools today. It should also be noted that there was freedom of religion in ancient Israel. But America as a nation was heterogenious from the start - there were Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and of course Jews who existed in the nation since colonial times. And each colony had a distinctive character. In order to allow for the formation of a more perfect single union, there had to be freedom of religion, and most importantly of all, federalism. And yet, implicit in this freedom of religion is the supremacy clause:

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."

Thus, if a state like South Dakota seeks to outlaw abortion, perhaps in the name of religion, they will be faced with the supremacy clause which says that Supreme Court and federal congressional law reigns supreme. A corollary to the abortion issue is that of birth controll pills. There are now pharmacists who are refusing to fill prescription birth control pills? Should they have the right to refuse prescriptions? I can easily see a compelling interest of women to prevent pregnancy - which interest is stronger? Should the pharmacy profession refuse to grant licenses to those who will not fill all legal prescriptions? A modern issue that Americans face is how much freedom to accord Muslims. At what point does allowing Muslims their freedom of religion conflict with other secular laws, as outlined in Lemon v. Kurtzman? One case that has been receiving particular attention is that of taxi drivers at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. These cab drivers are refusing to transport people who are carrying alcohol. As it stands, alcohol is legal in the United States. I would say there is a compelling state interest in transporting intoxicated people via cabs, rather than having them on the road. The interest is in preventing drunk driving. Thus, I would say that the Twin Cities could easily pass a law that requires all cab drivers to pick up intoxicated people. However, this case is dealing with people who are merely transporting alcohol - not those who are intoxicated. What such legitimate secular interest is there in transporting these people? One interest I can think of is the interest in freedom of commerce - namely, in allowing individuals to carry items they purchased lawfully back to their homes. Do you believe such an interest overrides the interest of Somali cab drivers to have their 'freedom of religion?' And most importantly of all, do you believe that imams should have the right to preach hatred inside mosques, in the name of 'religion?' Does freedom of religion mean freedom for a religion to be espousing ideas that call for violence against a state? Does a state hold the power to tell an imam he no longer has the ability to be a religious leader, if he is preaching violence? And where does freedom of speech come into this? Lest we forget, there is also the case of Brandenburg v. Ohio, which says that there must be a "clear and immediate danger" prior to the government banning speech. Should there be a different law in wartime? Is this wartime? And what are the implications, if this is wartime, given this is not some clearly defined war against a foreign nation, as World War II, for example, was? As you can see, the extent to which America is a "Christian nation" and affords freedom of religion is as gripping today as it was at the foundation of this great nation. There are no easy answers to these questions, only more questions. What do you think? Questions/comments/ideas?

A brief history of Israel

I just found a great brief history of Israel and thought I would share it with you all. Enjoy! Sadly, the facts are too often lost in polemics.

Why I support Israel's 'settlements'

Firstly, 'settlement' implies that the land is recently 'settled.' That is a mistake to assume - in fact many of the settlements - such as Hebron, East Jerusalem, and Gush Etzion, are in land that was traditionally Jewish - until the Palestinians (1929 Hebron massacre) and/or Jordan (in 1948) took the land away. I do not believe in 'land for peace.' I believe the land CAN be given up...But only if there is REAL EVIDENCE of a REAL PEACE that is coming. This requires a change in the textbooks, media, and Palestinian attitudes. Anything short is suicide. I did not always think this way. But the Second Intifada convinced me of this. See: Raccoon's personal reaction to the Intifada. Lest we forget, the land is of strategic importance. (see: Pentagon memo stating as such) That should be reason enough to not give up the settlements unless there is evidence that the Palestinians (and Arab world) are SERIOUS about a REAL PEACE. A summary of why I support the settlements in the territories:

1. Most of the settlements are on land that was not even occupied by Palestinians.
2. Many of the OTHER settlements are on land where Jews lived since recorded history - until they were kicked out by Palestinians (1929, Hebron massacre), or Jordan in 1948.
3. The West Bank is of strategic importance, and Israel otherwise does not have defensible borders.
4. Absolutely the West Bank (Judea/Samaria) and PARTICULARLY Jerusalem are places where Jews have long historical land ties and a deep emotional connection. You cannot compare this to anywhere else, save possibly Mecca/Medina.
5. In any case, any argument that the settlements are a block to peace is lost - since Israel is willing to give up the settlements.

DO NOT believe the lie that '40% of the settlements are on Palestinian-owned land.' THIS WAS A LIE PERPETUATED BY PEACE NOW, A GROUP OUT TO DISCREDIT ISRAELI ACTIONS! Camera debunked this nonsense right here. There are very real, non-insano religious reasons to support the settlements in Judea/Samaria.

Happy Chanukah

Today is the 25th of Kislev, and the first night of Chanukah, the eight day festival of lights, as well as rededication. It is also great for latkes and sufganiyot as well as chocolate coins which go with the dreidel. When I first learned about Judaism at age 10, it was because I bought a fun little book about Chanukah, and learned about Judah Maccabee as well as Antiochus IV, a nasty little tyrant. The story started when Alexander the Great conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judea, and the Judeans were allowed to live and worship in peace as long as they paid taxes to the Seleucids, until 175 BCE when Antiochus IV ascended the throne, and he decided to be a schmuck and started a series of progroms against the Jewish people. In 167, he ordered a temple of Zeus in Jerusalem. As a response Matthias, a priest, and his five sons John, Simon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah started a revolt against the Syrians. The next year, Matthias died and Judah took the lead, as well as earning the name Maccabee (the Hammer), making Judah Maccabee the original Hebrew Hammer :) A year later, the Maccabees won and the Syrians were driven out of Jerusalem. Now, the miracle has nothing to do with the military victory. Instead it is about the olive oil used to light the menorah in the Temple. There was only enough oil for one day, but it lasted eight days, until more olive oil was attained. Another aspect of Chanukah is the dreidel. The dreidel is a top with four sides and a letter on each side, The letters nun, gimmel, hey, and shin stand for Nes Gadol Haya Sham (a great miracle happened there), while in Israel the Sham is repalced with Po, because in Israel, it is more accurate to say the a "great miracle happened here." The purpose of the dreidel was a cover, since the Syrians outlawed Judaism, so when Jewish students were learning, a lookout was posted, so that when Syrain thugs were nearby the students could pull out a dreidel and some money, so they'd appear to be gambling instead of learning the Torah. Nowadays, the dreidel is used as a fun game and the gelt (chocolate or real coins) represent the money that was used for the cover. In some ways history repeats itself as Israel is still menaced by Syria (also Ahmenidinnerjacket could be regarded as a modern day Haman, but let's save that for Purim), though Syria does not rule Israel, as it did during Greek and Roman rule (the Governor was in Damascus while a praetorian praefect ruled over Jerusalem), and while it took two years to kick the Syrians out of Judea. A modern day Maccabee could smash Syria within two weeks, or maybe even during the eight days of Chanukah, which would make for great dramatic effect. This evening, 19 years later, I went to my first Chanukah party, which was very nice and filled with knowledge, fun songs, and great food. While I knew some things about Chanukah and can learn the rest through wikipedia, it is even better to experience it. I hope everyone who reads this post is having a Happy Chanukah, whether you're Jewish or goyim, or somewhere in between :)