Israel Defense Force and the Maccabees

Channukah commemorates the resilience and triumph of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks in 167 BCE. In drawing parallels between the U.S. led coalition's actions against ISIS terror in Mosul in 2016-2017 and Israel's war against Hamas terror in Gaza, we find common threads that echo the challenges faced by the Maccabees over 2000 years ago.

1. Human Shields Hamas strategically position themselves within urban areas and amidst civilian populations. In Mosul and Gaza alike, the tactical use of these environments complicates military operations, increasing the risk of civilian casualties. In Mosul in 2016-2017, coalition forces killed 10,000 civilians while rooting out ISIS. The USA said it was the fault of ISIS.

2. Precision Targeting and Minimizing Civilian Harm Both the U.S. led coalition and the IDF are committed to precision targeting and minimizing harm to civilians during their respective campaigns. As we reflect on the miracle of the oil lasting eight days, we are reminded of the moral imperative to safeguard innocent lives amid the complexities of warfare. Israel is doing just that, as the most moral army in the world.

3. Complexity of Urban Warfare The challenges of urban warfare transcend time and space. From the ancient alleyways of Jerusalem to the streets of Mosul and Gaza, the difficulty of distinguishing combatants from non-combatants persists. The Maccabees confronted these challenges, and the IDF grapples with similar complexities in their commitment to minimizing harm in densely populated areas.

4. Responsibility of ISIS and Hamas for Civilian Deaths Both the U.S. led coalition in Mosul and the Israeli government assert that ISIS and Hamas bear responsibility for endangering civilians. By using civilian populations as shields and operating within hospitals, terrorists are responsible for civilian deaths. This echoes the Maccabees' struggle against those who sought to undermine the very fabric of Jewish society.

On Channukah we follow the Talmudic opinion of Hillel who holds that we add one candle every night until we reach the 8th night. The contrary opinion of Shamai says we start with 8 candles on the first night and reduce the number every night by 1, until we light only 1 candle on the last night. Shamai's reasoning is that we always start a project with 8 candles worth of energy, but human nature is such that our energy wanes...to one candle's worth of energy. Hillel agrees but says, as soon as you see your energy dissipating, that is the time to invest more energy, more faith and more effort by adding one candle every night, until we have a full menorah of eight candles.

With increasing Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi, and Iranian attacks, and surging antisemitism on college campuses, it is time for World Jewry to invest another candle of faith, supplies, support and lobbying to fight for Israel and World Jewry.

The world must support us in the war against darkness and evil.