Hanukkah Antisemitism
Or, how an ancient story says a lot about what Jews are experiencing today
I am listening to "People Love Dead Jews" on Spotify, and it's timely because I just listened to the chapter on the difference between "Purim Antisemitism" and "Hanukkah Antisemitism."
For the unaware, Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the story of the Jews being spared from a planned annihilation.
By contrast, Hanukkah honors the story of the Jewish people rebelling against an oppressive regime that sought to eliminate them not through mass extermination but through forced assimilation and abandonment of Jewish culture and identity.
Horn posits that for non-Jews in particular, "Purim Antisemitism" is easy to understand. It's the Holocaust, or more recently, the shooting up of a synagogue in Pittsburgh. It should also include October 7, and perhaps will some day.
Hanukkah antisemitism is more insidious. It implies that if only Jews worshipped a little differently or adapted to the dominant culture or stopped rubbing our identity in everyone's face, we would be fine. The Hellenistic Empire that ruled over the land of Judaea (now Israel), gave Jews an out. Just give up your Judaism and you can live in peace.
Fast forward to the rise of the Soviet Union, and a more modern manifestation of “Hanukkah Antisemitism” emerges. Jewish life and culture is seen as the antithesis to the socialist dream, and indeed, many Soviet Jews fall in line, falsely believing this will keep them safe.
Of course it doesn't, because Hanukkah Antisemitism almost always morphs into Purim Antisemitism. Eventually they just want to straight up kill us.
Going back to October 7. It is almost the reverse. A very clear act of Purim Antisemitism, meaning an attempt to murder as many Jews as possible, has led to a rise in Hanukkah Antisemitism, or an increased demand for Jews to change our identities to be more acceptable.
Jews are pressured to denounce Israel's very existence. If they are Zionists, which most Jews are, they are excluded from a large number of progressive spaces. For many Black, queer, and indigenous American Jews, for example this means having to check a huge part of your identity at the door in order to “fit” into these supposedly inclusive spaces.
With rare exception, I find most Antisemites have no idea they are targeting Jews. They think they are merely “educating,” or “fighting for humanity.” They genuinely believe they are doing the “right” thing.
This is what allows people to rationalize October 7 as a legitimate act of resistance.
It is what excuses the denial of Hamas’ sexual violence against Israelis.
It is why, despite there being plenty of Christian Zionists and plenty of non-Jewish organizations that are staunchly pro-Israel, it seems only synagogues, Jewish schools and Jewish-owned restaurants that are vandalized and subjected to angry mobs.
Because, to them, and to a good portion of the world, Jews are the problem.
And, all we have to do is just stop being so insistent on being Jewish.
Adapt and survive as they say.
And many Jews do adapt.
But history shows that is never enough.
Not for long.
I wish I was wrong. I hope I am. I would love for Jews to finally live in true peace just as we are, no compromises.