Best Discussed Amongst Ourselves

David Brooks is a highly respected op-ed columnist for The New York Times, which many regard as THE newspaper of record for our entire nation. Before my friends on the Right get upset, you should know that Mr. Brooks presents articulate conservative views, both in the newspaper and on Public Television’s The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

A few days ago, The New York Times published a David Brooks column, headlined The Hanukkah Story. It was very-well written,–as his articles typically are–and historically accurate. In a number of points, the article paralleled the email I composed and sent to you last week.

Here are the final five paragraphs of the piece:

The Maccabees are best understood as moderate fanatics. They were not in total revolt against Greek culture. They used constitutional language to explain themselves. They created a festival to commemorate their triumph (which is part of Greek, not Jewish culture). Before long, they were electing their priests [Ed. note: also not the traditional Jewish mode of priestly succession].

On the other hand, they were fighting heroically for their traditions and the survival of their faith. If they found uncircumcised Jews, they performed forced circumcisions. They had no interest in religious liberty within the Jewish community and believed religion was a collective regimen, not an individual choice.

They were not the last bunch of angry, bearded religious guys to win an insurgency campaign against a great power in the Middle East, but they may have been among the first. They retook Jerusalem in 164 B.C. [E.] and rededicated the temple. Their regime quickly became corrupt, brutal and reactionary. The concept of reform had been discredited by the Hellenizing extremists. Practice stagnated. Scholarship withered. The Maccabees became religious oppressors themselves, fatefully inviting the Romans into Jerusalem.

Generations of Sunday school teachers have turned Hanukkah into the story of unified Jewish bravery against an anti-Semitic Hellenic empire. Settlers in the West Bank tell it as a story of how the Jewish hard-core defeated the corrupt, assimilated Jewish masses. Rabbis later added the lamp miracle to give God at least a bit part in the proceedings.

But there is no erasing the complex ironies of the events, the way progress, heroism and brutality weave through all sides. The Maccabees heroically preserved the Jewish faith. But there is not honest way to tell their story as a self-congratulatory morality tale. The lesson of Hanukkah is that even the struggles that saved a people are dappled with tragic irony, complexity, and unattractive choices.

So, if Mr. Brooks’ article reflects history as it really was, why am I so uncomfortable reading it? Probably because the persistent question raised by our immigrant parents or grandparents keeps running through my head:

Is this good or bad for the Jews?

Well, I don’t think it’s good for the Jews! If it had appeared in one of the leading Jewish newspapers, such as The Forward or The Jewish Week, I honestly wouldn’t have a problem with the article. It would likely be one of several takes in the newspaper on the significance of Chanukah, and Jewish readers could decide which take suits them best.

But, The New York Times is read by the whole world, not just by Jews. Just as we are celebrating Chanukah, here comes an article that debunks the holiday. Readers will remember the warts of the heroes herein described far longer than any of their acts of bravery.

Anti-Semitism is alive and well in our world. In polite society, it often masquerades as anti-Zionism. Let me quickly add that I do not believe that the Israeli government–like the American government–is above criticism. However, I do believe that questioning Israel’s right to exist is tantamount to questioning the right of Jews to live in this world.

I am most assuredly NOT saying that David Brooks is an anti-Semite. He is NOT. However, I do fear that this article can contribute to negative feelings about Jews, and that is what makes me uncomfortable.

In spite of the excesses of the Maccabees, particularly when they took control of the country following the revolt, we should recognize that without their rebellion, Judaism would likely have ceased to exist. For that alone, this holiday is worthy of celebration.