The last time Jews invited an empire into Israel, we lost everything.

As America deepens its involvement in Israel, Chanukah reminds us what happens when sovereignty is compromised.

The Kotel, an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem (photo: Sander Crombach/Unsplash)

Please consider supporting our mission to help everyone better understand and become smarter about the Jewish world. A gift of any amount helps keep our platform free of advertising and accessible to all.

---

This is a guest essay written by Joshua Namm, a longtime Jewish community professional.

You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.

---

There has been a lot of serious discussion recently about America’s role in the recent agreement between Israel and Hamas. Which brings me to Chanukah.

What’s the connection?

As Chanukah approaches, there are two, seemingly different, but related reasons that “make this year different than all other years.”

According to a story in The Jerusalem Post, the United States, obviously under President Donald Trump, is planning to build a large military base in Israel along the Gaza border. The aim is purportedly to aid “stabilization efforts” in Gaza during the current conflict, and (more tellingly) to “serve future international stabilization efforts.”

At the same time, the acceptance of Trump’s plan, and the various ways the U.S. has been involved in shaping Israel’s policy during this war, under former President Joe Biden and Trump, demonstrates an expansion of America’s influence on Israel, representing an increasing Israeli willingness to relinquish sovereignty — in much the same way it has given up land for a phantom “peace,” for decades.

That isn’t as threatening if we’re talking about the U.S.-Israel relationship as it has existed for most of the last 50 years. But Israeli-American relations haven’t always been this friendly, and there is no reason, especially given the events of the last two years, to believe that they will remain so in the future.

It is no longer entirely in the realm of fantasy to believe that, at some point, America could be a significant opponent to Israel’s interests (and to wider Jewish interests). When I was growing up, I assumed that any conflict in which Israel and America found themselves on different sides, would be an America so different than the one I grew up in, that it would be unrecognizable as America. I also assumed this to be an almost entirely theoretical question, one which, if it did occur, could occur only after many, many generations.

That was naively idealistic.

Again, we aren’t there yet, but now we can easily see how things could get there. The rise of the antisemitic Left (most recently embodied in the elections of not one but two Jew-hating socialist mayors in New York City and Seattle, with a newly declared socialist mayoral candidate in Los Angeles announcing on November 15th), as well as the reemergence of the antisemitic Right, is a wake-up call that every Jew should heed.

Given how far down that road Europe has already gone, the crucial role that Israel plays in the lives of Jews should be even more clear. It is the only place on earth that can reliably be a safe haven from countries with Jew-hating governments and populations.

Which is why an American military base in Israel is so dangerous. My fear that America is going down the road of antisemitism and its associated marginalization of the Jewish population, which so many other nations in history have eventually gone down, is concerning. But there is another aspect of that history which is an even more glaring warning for us in the present.

Chanukah is not only not a “minor” holiday, but it is instead, like all Jewish holidays, infused with its own deep meaning with endless lessons for us today. A small band of religious Jews, starting with Judah Maccabee (son of Mattathias ben Johanan the High Priest), defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks out of Judea (Israel), and reclaimed the Temple. Part of that purification process was the lighting of its famous, seven branched, menorah with untainted oil. The Jews only had enough pure oil for one day, to get more would take seven days and, miraculously, the one day of oil lasted for eight days.

The first lesson of this important holiday is: Never be afraid to be Jewish. Be a proud Jew, be unapologetically Jewish, and always do what’s right as a Jew. We light the menorah publicly, or place it in a window facing the outside, precisely for that reason. It is an expression of defiance, and pride in our Jewishness. Judah fought a massive army, and defeated it, because he, and the Jews of that time, did not compromise. At all. Their faith in Hashem and their unity as Jews made them undefeatable.

On a deeper level, we light the candles at night not for the drama of it, but because it demonstrates that even a little bit of light can penetrate the darkness. We add a candle each night to remind us that more mitzvot (Jewish commandments), increased Jewish observance, brings more light into the darkness.

What the Hashmonaim (Hasmoneans) accomplished was miraculous and is one of the most potent symbols of Jewish faith and courage. It deserves to be celebrated enthusiastically.

A lesser aspect of the story, and unfortunately sadly relevant for today, is what happened much later. The early Hasmonean Kings were righteous Jews; they walked in the footsteps of their illustrious ancestors Judah, Matisyahu, and Shimon. But power often corrupts, and unfortunately that was true of the later Hasmoneans who declared themselves kings. Because they were not descended from King David, this was a direct violation of Torah law. Many were corrupt, and their rule was disastrous in many ways for the Jews.

An obvious exception was the exceptional rule of Queen Salome Alexandra whose wisdom, and righteousness, resulted in the greatest period for the Jewish nation of the entire Second Temple period. When her rule ended, civil war broke out between her sons Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. In 3698 (64 B.C.E. and 63 B.C.E.), they made an error that changed the course of history. It had very negative repercussions for the Jewish People that, believe it or not, we are still living through today.

What went so wrong?

Instead of handling their disputes internally, like any sovereign nation should, they invited Rome, the largest empire in the world at that time, to mediate on their behalf. The leader at the time, Pompey, having no serious previous interest in Israel, responded by marching into the Jewish homeland and conquering it. While Rome had exerted some previous influence, it had never meddled directly in the affairs of the Land of Israel. Pompey sensed division and weakness among the Jewish People, and so he acted.

Pompey then put Hyrcanus on the throne because as the weaker of the two brothers, he could be easily manipulated. Hyrcanus was effectively a puppet. More crucially, the real power installed behind the throne was not Jewish at all but was from Edom — Antipater.

Antipater eventually had a son who assumed rule of the Land of Israel. We all know his name: King Herod. At one point, to consolidate his power, Herod assassinated the entire remaining Hasmonean family. Herod was evil, and even though he is known, even today, as a builder, his rule was anything but positive for Judea.

After Herod died, his son became king. His rule led directly to the complete conquest of Judea, which became a Roman province under full control of Rome, as a result. It, in turn, led to several Jewish revolts, the destruction of the Holy Temple, total destruction of Judea, exile of the Jews, and the renaming of Jerusalem to “Aelia Capitolina” and Judea to — you guessed it — “Syria Palestina,” which directly led to the lie which is the idea of “Palestine” as an indigenous Arab homeland.

Had Rome not been invited into the Land of Israel, thus preserving complete Jewish sovereignty, all of the horrific events that we associate with the Roman period would not have happened. The descendants of the people who fought, and defeated, the Greeks invited an even more powerful enemy in because they viewed them as an “ally.”

America is not Rome. Yet. But Rome wasn’t Rome either until Caesar took power from Pompey, the same Pompey mentioned above, becoming Rome’s first emperor. Previously, it too had been a republic. While there are huge, major, critical differences between America and Rome, the United States today is the world’s largest empire. And the example of Pompey and Caesar demonstrates how drastically things can change. Rome had been a republic for centuries before Caesar became its dictator.

The obvious lesson is that for Israel to cede any of its sovereignty to a foreign power is always a mistake.

Related to the subject of a Jewish civil war is the subject of Jewish unity. The First Temple was destroyed because of idol worship, forbidden sexual relationships, and bloodshed. The second was destroyed because of sinat chinam (baseless hatred).

At a moment when antisemitism feels higher than anything many of us expected to see in our lifetimes, it’s worth remembering how we speak about one another. Giving a fellow Jew the benefit of the doubt — and avoiding labels or harsh judgments — isn’t just kindness; it’s a source of strength.

The term “JINO” (Jew In Name Only) gets thrown around a lot. But the truth is simple: There’s no such thing. We’re all Jews. No one is “more Jewish,” no one is “less Jewish,” regardless of how they live, think, or practice. People have different levels of observance and different beliefs — some of those beliefs may genuinely worry us or affect the community — but their Jewish identity isn’t up for debate.

Many Jews who feel disconnected simply weren’t given the education, tools, or experiences that help a person build a lasting relationship with their Jewishness. That’s not a failing; it’s a reality.

Our job is to look for the pintele Yid, the spark inside every Jew, and help it grow in whatever way speaks to them. This is a moment that calls for everyone, from every background and level of knowledge, to feel part of the same story, and to be united against any outside force compromising our homeland’s sovereignty.

---