Hanukkah teaches us that a small flame, lit openly, can defy intimidation. Lighting a menorah is not a private ritual, but a very public display. And as Jews light the candles of Hanukkah this year, we are all thinking about the latest attempt to extinguish our flame, found in the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Australia.
Hanukkah is often told as a miracle of light, and it’s true, but that is only part of the story. Yes, the oil that was supposed to burn for only a single day managed to last for eight. But the miraculous extends to the defiance of the Maccabees, a band of fierce warriors who refused to surrender. Vastly outnumbered, the Maccabees chose to fight rather than hide in the shadows. They embodied the idea of coming into the light: they fought strategically, relentlessly, and uncompromisingly in defense of the Jewish people’s right to exist.
Hanukkah has long been softened into a story about oil and miracles, celebrated with hollow social media posts by politicians and celebrities chasing clout by showing token support to the “Jews” for their Christmas-adjacent holiday. But Hanukkah’s actual miracle was earned through blood and courage. Judah Maccabee and his brothers fought back and reclaimed what was theirs. The oil that burned for eight days came only after they won the Temple back through battle.
This is the legacy we Jews carry when we light menorahs in our windows each night. Yes, “they tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat,” applies to Hanukkah, but our story is also a story of active resistance. The menorahs in our windows are a declaration of our commitment to fighting for survival then, and now.
Today’s antisemitism, whether manifested in hateful rhetoric or actual violence, needs to be met with the same unimpeachable defiance Judah Maccabee demonstrated. Every Jewish community that refuses to hide right now and lights their candles publicly despite the threats we face channels the Maccabean spirit.
Much as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the Chabad emissary who was murdered at Bondi Beach and championed keeping the light shining bright despite rampant antisemitism, the flame endures not because we hide it but because we’ve always been willing to defiantly kindle it in our homes and communities.
And may the memories of those who were killed be for a blessing and inspire us to keep the flame lit brightly, always.
