Et Tu America? For Israel, No Ally Is Forever

There has been a lot of serious discussion recently about America’s role in the recent agreement between Israel and Hamas. And while I wrote about that topic last month, this month contains my favorite holiday of the year: Chanukah. I wrote about the incredible importance of that holiday two years ago. This year, those two things are connected.

What’s the connection?

As Chanukah approaches there are two, seemingly different, but related reasons that “make this year different than all other years” (sorry about mixing two Jewish ideas in that way).

According to a story in the Jerusalem Post, the United States, obviously under 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 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 AND Seattle, with a newly declared socialist mayoral candidate in Los Angeles announcing on November 15), and the rise of the antisemitic right, embodied in the Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, etc., is a wake up call that every Jew should heed.

Given how far down that road Europe (where nothing ever truly changes) 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 every other nation in history has 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. As I wrote two years ago:

“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 un-defeatable.

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, 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, 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 Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple), total destruction of Judea, exile of the Jewish people, 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.

Second Temple. Model of the ancient Jerusalem. Israel Museum

Had Rome not been invited into the Land of Israel, thus preserving FULL 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 Caeser 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 only empire. And the example of Pompey and Caeser demonstrates how drastically things can change. Rome had been a republic for centuries before Caeser 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, or baseless hatred.

At a time when antisemitism is reaching levels most of us never imagined, it is more important than ever to go to any lengths necessary to give your brother/sister the benefit of the doubt, and not malign, embarrass, or otherwise be harsh to them.

Very often the term used is “JINO” (Jew in name only). There are NO “JINOs.” Period. We are all Jews. No one is more Jewish, no one is less Jewish, and even a Jew eating a ham sandwich, wearing a cross, in a church, on Yom Kippur (G-d forbid) is STILL a Jew. There may be less observant Jews and more observant Jews. There are liberal Jews and conservative Jews. And yes, many of the beliefs of our fellow Jews are dangerous and do real damage to the Jewish community. They are still fully Jewish.

The vast majority of them are people who have little to no Jewish education, and were never taught how to nurture their connection to their Jewishness.

We need to fine the pintele Yid, the Jewish spark, in each precious Jew and do whatever it takes to help it flourish. This is an all hands on deck situation and we (always) need every single Jew, from the most humble to the brightest burning scholar.

Never be afraid. Never give up.

Am Yisrael chai.

This article originally appeared in Orange County Jewish Life.

Joshua Namm is a longtime Jewish community pro, former editor and current columnist for Orange County Jewish Life, passionate Israel advocate, and co-founder/co-CEO of Moptu, a unique social platform designed specifically for article sharing, and dedicated to the principle of free speech.