Ḥanukah, Fanon & the Failure of Individualism
byFrantz Fanon provides us with a broad framework for better understanding the actions and motivations of the Maccabee guerrilla underground.
Maccabees
Peretz Attacks Ḥanukah-Christmas Conflation
byIsrael’s difficult balance between particularism and universalism is often highlighted around Ḥanukah, which celebrates the victory of a radical tribalist minority over the forces of cultural imperialism.
The Maccabean Revolt with Chris Whitman
byWhat were the Maccabees actually fighting for and how does it relate to contemporary cultural frictions within Israeli society?
Celebrating the 18th of Elul
byThe 18th of Elul was once a Hebrew festival marking the day Shimon HaTarsi achieved full independence for Judea after a brutal guerrilla war spanning nearly three decades.
Living in the Seventh Day
byThe revival of our language, ingathering of our exiles, attainment of independence and unification of Jerusalem merely represent stages in a larger ongoing revolution we are meant to participate in.
Yom Nikanor
byThe 13th of Adar was once a Hebrew festival marking the date Yehuda Maccabee defeated the Seleucid-Greek General Nikanor at Adasa.
Celebrating the 28th of Shvat
byBefore Rome destroyed Jerusalem, Israel’s calendar had several festivals commemorating Maccabean victories. The story of our 26 year guerrilla war is actually so much bigger than just Ḥanukah.
Z’khor Y’mot Olam: Ḥanukah
byWe refer to our enemies in this period as ‘Yevanim’ not for geopolitical reasons, but for the primordial cultural force that they represented and spread via their temporal power.
Ḥanukah
byThe pure cruse of oil shone brightly, permeated the collective soul of the Hebrew nation and bestowed upon Israel the strength to fight on.
In Honor of Matityahu ben Yoḥanan
byFor an entire generation, Matityahu ben Yoḥanan HaKohen and his five courageous sons led the people of Judea in waging a struggle for freedom against the Seleucid Greek Empire.