Op-Ed: Hanukkah Teaches the Importance of Preserving the Jewish Heritage
As Jews around the world celebrate Chanukkah, we remember that the Seleucid Greeks sought to eradicate the Jewish religion from the face of the earth. Unlike Haman’s plot to commit genocide in Persia which Jews memorialize around the world during Purim, the Seleucid Greeks did not have a problem with Jews existing; they merely wanted them to Hellenize and abandon their heritage. For this reason, the Seleucids outlawed Shabbat observance, the commemoration of Rosh Hodesh, the celebration of Jewish holidays, keeping kosher, the studying of Torah, and the practice of circumcision, but did not issue a death warrant for the existence of the entire Jewish people.