Block: Modern fight against terror recalls Chanukah

Marty Block
Marty Block

SACRAMENTO (Press Release)–State Senator Marty Block (D-San Diego) issued the following statement about the contemporary meaning of Hanukkah as chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus from Washington, D.C., where he is attending the White House Hanukkah reception on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

“Hanukkah, the ancient Hebrew Festival of Lights, takes on new meaning today as the dark forces of oppression and intolerance continue to threaten peace around the world.

“Against great odds, in 165 B.C.E. the Maccabees defeated the forces of the Greek-Syrian king Antiochus IV, who forbade Jews in Judea from practicing the tenets of their faith and instead demanded adoration of pagan gods. After years of fighting and victoriously reclaiming the Temple in Jerusalem, the Maccabees prepared to rededicate it but found only enough oil to light the Temple for a single day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, thus the eight-day Hanukkah festival observed over the centuries by the lighting of the menorah.

“The Maccabees’ heroic resistance against religious persecution means Hanukkah is very much a celebration of light, freedom and self-determination. The war against brutality and terror continues, and the meaning of Hanukkah is as relevant today as it was some 2,200 years ago.”

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Preceding provided by State Senator Marty Block

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