From Persecution to Independence
The Chanukah story like you’ve never heard it before
181 Lafayette Avenue, Passaic
You know the miracle. Now learn about the war that made it possible.
Chanukah was a war of ideas long before it was a war of swords. Over two evenings, follow the full arc: a small nation caught between empires, a struggle over its own identity, an unlikely revolt, and the long road from the Temple’s rededication to a Jewish state.
The real backdrop
How Judah ended up between Egypt and Syria after Alexander, and why both empires wanted it.
The battle for the Jewish soul
Why Hellenism tempted so many Jews, and how the revolt became a civil war as well as a war against Greece.
Why we light candles
Why the sages chose to commemorate the oil and not the military victories.
What came after
The 25 years from rededication to independence, and what that hard-won victory can teach us today.
Two evenings, one complete story
The Noose Tightens
- A small land between two empires
- Hellenism arrives, and most Jews refuse it
- Alexandria, the Septuagint and the pull of Greek culture
- A high priesthood for sale and an assault on Jewish practice
- The spark at Modi’in
Lights Over Darkness
- Yehuda the Maccabee and the few against the many
- The rededication of the Temple and the miracle of the oil
- Religious freedom won, political freedom not
- Yonasan, Shimon and the road to independence
- The cracks underneath, and what they teach us
Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff
- Former Jewish History teacher and professor
- Author of many history articles in The Jewish Press
- Founder of Impactful Coaching & Consulting and author of three leadership books
Series WhatsApp group
Join the series WhatsApp group for reminders before each session and the materials afterward. You’ll get the link when you register.
Help bring this series to the community
Sponsorship opportunities are available. To sponsor, call, text or WhatsApp:
212.470.6139Let us know you’re coming
Two Motzei Shabbos evenings, November 21 and 28, at 8:00 PM. Free and open to the community. Walk-ins are always welcome, and registering helps us plan.
Register