Whose Side Are We On (in the Hanukkah Story)

Service led by Rabbi Doug Heifetz, Community Kiddush (Dairy/Veg./Vegan contribution) and Discussion: Which Side Are We On? (in the Hanukkah Story)

Let’s discuss the upcoming holiday of Hanukkah. Most Jews learn the historical Hanukkah story as a very black-and-white episode. In this telling, the heroic Maccabees stood up against the tyrannical Hellenistic (Greek) king and the king’s Jewish collaborators. But what if we don’t really identify with the zealous Maccabees? What if we see our reflection more clearly in the memory of the Hellenistic Jews of that time, the ones who compromised more readily with foreign rulers and the culture they represented? Can we still celebrate the Maccabees? How does this impact the meaning of the holiday for us now?