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For Jewish Americans, it’s occasionally charming when public officials recognize our minor holidays (Chanukah is a minor Jewish holiday, not on Christmas’ scale in terms of Judaism). But that’s merely cosmetic. We’d be far prouder if those public officials–Jewish or not–did their job in protecting America and making our national security priority #1.
That, however, would be expecting too much–in the case of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff (a/k/a “Mr. Burns”). He’s often bragged about how he’s the son of a rabbi, and this week he was lighting a Chanukah menorah (candelabra) for all the cameras. But we all–Jewish or not–would be a lot better off, if he actually did something about our homeland security. In case he forgot, that is–after all–the name of the department he heads.

Happy Chanukah: Chertoff “Protects the Country” by Lighting a Menorah
Instead, Chertoff’s busy ignoring an important DHS Inspector General report just released (yesterday)–a scathing document, which sets out glaring deficiencies in his department. This is giving Democrats–who created his dysfunctional agency, now more dysfunctional under Son of Rabbi Chertoff–a lot of fodder. They call this the “33 unfulfilled promises,” which include a lack of financial accountability (ie. a ton of waste) in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) while illegal immigration metastasizes. We’re sure that includes the $30,000 wasted on new furniture for the already well-appointed offices of ICE Special Agent in Charge Brian Moskowitz a/k/a “Abu Moskowitz”.
The document also identifies problems with infrastructure protection (bridges, water plants, etc.) and border security, and urges a merger between ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)–.
Chertoff’s response: A big “F-U.” According to the New York Daily News, he said he won’t heed the advice. Well, at least he’s consistent–he’s ignored all of these disturbing Inspector General reports. DHS agents are outraged, as are we. So we say, to heck with his phony menorah lighting and braggadocio about being a rabbi’s son. That means nothing, and he’s missed the whole point of Chanukah. The heroes of Chanukah were Matatias, Judah, and the other brave Maccabees who fought the enemy, some to their death–and they did so without a massive Homeland Security budget. The fought for their lives against the Syrian-Greeks to protect the homeland that was the Land of Israel. And among the first people they killed were fellow Jews, who got in the way and consorted with the enemy (sounds like today’s ACLU and , who consort with Islamic terrorists and use all means to help their cause, not America’s). It was bloody, turning brother against brother, but it was necessary.
Looking at the Maccabees’ awesome feat and victory for the security of the Jewish people in Israel, it’s shameful to repeatedly watch Chertoff barely lift a finger when he is ostensibly in charge of fighting the war on terror internally in the most powerful nation on earth. We’re not advocating murder. We’re just advocating a modicum of attention to our border problems, immigration problems, ICE problems, and basically the mess that is DHS, in which Chertoff has done little in this past year “on the job.” Chertoff could start by applying a little Talmudic skills that his rabbi father must surely have learned . . . such as studying the text of the DHS Inspector General reports and following some of the advice therein.
If Chertoff can’t take any constructive steps to fix DHS and help better protect us, all the menorah lighting and rabbi parents in the world are meaningless. The bottom line is ensuring America’s security. We’re still waiting to receive that ultimate Chanukah present.