By Debbie Schlussel
As I write this, it’s nightfall in Michigan, and the Jewish holiday of Chanukah began–as all Jewish holidays do–at sundown, about an hour ago.
Chanukah is the story of miracles on so many levels, miracles Jews remember during this eight-day holiday, every year. It’s especially compelling, this year, as we remember the murder of several Jews at the Lubavitch Chabad House Jewish Center in Mumbai, India, at the hands of Islamic terrorists less than a month ago.

Chanukah is the story of the few against the many–the few Maccabees, led by Matthew [Matityahu, and then, after his death, Matthew’s son, Judah [Yehudah], who fought against oppression by Greek-Assyrian King Antiochus Epiphanies and miraculously beat him and his army, which far outnumbered the Jews. It’s the story of the one jar of olive oil which mirculously lasted eight days–the amount of time it took to make more jars–in lighting the menorah [candelabra] in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. All other jars had been destroyed or made impure by the Greeks, and it was the one jar that miraculously survived intact. Above all, Chanukah is about the age-old, repeat fight of the Jewish people for religious freedom.
As we Jews face a bleak future with Islamic extremism and violence on the rise, we also face an enemy within, just as the Jews and their Maccabees fought in their own community back in the day. The Hellenists were Jews who wanted to forsake Judaism for the secularism of the Greeks. Today, those same Jews are the ones who’ve forsaken Judaism for liberalism. They’re the ones who voted for Barack Obama, the ones who continue to pander and “outreach” to our avowed enemies in the Islamic community. I’ve written about so many of them on this site over the years, and their names need not be mentioned on this holiday. We know who they are. And their views must be crushed, just as the Maccabees crushed Jewish Hellenism.
I asked, last year, where are all the Maccabees? I still haven’t found them. There are scant few among my fellow co-religionists willing to fight for the West’s survival, and far too many who run like Roger Bannister to kiss the feet of Muslim extremists in our commmunities in America.
I’m not suggesting violence, as the Maccabees needed to engage in. But it must be remembered that the most bloody fights against and slaughters the Maccabees had to carry out were not those of their Greek-Assyrian enemies, but those of their fellow Jews, whose behavior could have meant the end of Judaism. The Maccabees showed no mercy toward these ignoramuses who embraced the enemy, toward these eager sell-outs.
Sadly, we have plenty of those types of Jews dominating my religion, today, and since there are no Maccabees, we see the results in the shrinking number of Jews worldwide. Jews who leave the religion and/or who bend over backward (and forward) to supporters of Islamic terrorism tend to be–with a few exceptions–very liberal Jews and/or their kids. Make no mistake, Bernard Madoff and many of his investors were of this ilk. That’s why their greed ruled the day, and they lost their way (except the way to the ballot box to cast their votes for the Democrats). They would have been among the carnage necessary for the Maccabees’ miraculous victory.
I also recognize that, among the Hellenists, are not just lapsed Jews, who’ve embraced far-left liberalism, but other actors, like the Justice Department, which just set a new policy of seeking no bail for Jewish defendants. We’ve become second class, because that’s the status we’ve set for ourselves by constantly rushing to defend those who’d eliminate us. If you don’t have pride in yourself, others will diss you, too. The Maccabees learned that, when they showed they had pride and bravery. They defied our modern and relatively recent stereotype, which was not typical for that time, of the Jew as weak and cowardly.
And unlike today, in the days of the Maccabees, no-one said it was verboten and impolite to say that the Jews’ enemies were all Greek-Assyrians. No-one called them bigots or Antiochus-phobes for saying so.
And so I recognize and remember all of this as I light, tonight, the first of eight candles on my Channukah menorah, marking each night of this joyous holiday. Tomorrow night, I’ll light two candles, marking the second night, and so on. The ninth candle, the shamash, is used to light the other eight. It is required to be elevated in height from the other eight candles, which are supposed to be uniform in height on a kosher menorah. (I spied menorahs on sale at Bed, Bath & Beyond that simply aren’t kosher because they don’t meet those requirements.)
A few notes on Channukah: Contrary to what Hallmark and American Greetings and Best Buy would have you believe, it is not–as I’ve noted here many times–a major Jewish holiday. That’s why, unlike on important Jewish holidays, we Jews can work, as I’m doing on this website. I only do not work while my Channukah candles–which are required to burn for a half hour–are lit up. Channukah has only become important, here in America, because of weak, ignorant Jewish parents who cannot explain to their kids that we don’t have a Christmas or a holiday at the same time of the year that is as important to us as Christmas is to Christians. This is largely a phenomenon of Jewish immigration to America.
Speaking of Hallmark, I’m often asked why the name is spelled a gazillion different ways. That’s because of English transliteration from Hebrew. It begins with a “Ch” sound, which is similar to the noise you get from clearing your throat. It’s not an “h” sound, but most Gentiles–and now, many Jews–are unable to pronounce the “ch” sound. As for the two “n”s or two “k”s, those are irrelevant, as it’s all about transliteration and phonetics. There is no right way to spell “Channukah” in English.
We play a game with a spinning top, called a dreidel. The dreidel has a different of four Hebrew letters on each side, which are the initials for a Hebrew phrase, Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, which means, “A Big Miracle Happened There [Here, if you’re in Israel].” (Ironically, Bed, Bath & Beyond sells a gold-colored dreidel, bearing a carving of the mosque on top of the Jewish Temple Mount. HUH?!)

Chanukah Dreidel
The eight gifts thing–or even one Chanukah gift–is really not part of Chanukah, either. It’s also part of the incorrect “Just like Christmas” phenomenon. In Europe, traditionally people gave gold coins–called “Channukah gelt”–and ate fried potato pancakes, called latkes. In Israel, they eat sufganiyot, jelly donuts. Jews in America tend to eat both of these on Channukah.
The bottom line is that, no matter how Channukah is celebrated by various Jews around the world, it is about Jews–with all odds against them–vanquishing their enemies, both their enemies without and within. And I note again, today that enemy is Islam and Muslims and the stupid Jewish liberals who love them. We have not chosen to fight them. They are self-appointed.
Too many self-appointed Hellenists, too. Not enough Maccabees.
On the bright side, as with all enemies of the Jewish people, with all odd against us, we defeated the Greeks and Antiochus. I’m hopeful we’ll defeat Islam eventually, too.
Like I said, Chanukah is about the few beating the many. And miracles.
And finally, I’ll repeat a message I posted last year from my friend Ruth S. King of Americans for a Safe Israel and a great patriot. I second her emotion:

I’m never a hundred percent sure of how to spell it, but I do know that it is a holiday of triumph of good versus evil and Jews versus their oppressors. May you and all those you love have a healthy and wonderful holiday. May we prevail over the millions of enemies we have. May America and Israel survive in strength, deterrence and determination. And, a special thanks to those not of our faith whose friendship and support are crucial and inspiring.

Amen.
To my Jewish friends and readers, I wish you a Happy Chanukah, and to my other friends and readers, I hope this explained this fun and auspicious holiday to you. Thanks to all of you for being vigilant and helping to fight the modern-day Hellenists. And thanks to all of you who sent me Chanukah greetings and good wishes. Right back at ya!
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From Shraga Simmons and Shimon Apisdorf at Matityahu’s Revolt:

The name “Maccabee” is an acronym for the [Biblical] verse “Who is compared to You among the mighty, oh Lord” (Exodus 15:11).

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More on Chanukah from Judaism 101, Matityahu’s Revolt, and the Constantia Hebrew Congregation of Capetown, South Africa.
Happy Chanukah!

Temple Mount Faithful Light Chanukah Menorah in Israel
(Part of the Jewish Temple–the most holy part–has a mosque built on top of it.)
Off to light my candles. . . .