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JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Chanuica, Friday, December f& 4^0
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We witnessed a Chanuka miracle
Chanuka is much more than a holiday for children. During this festival, when the lights brighten every Jewish home, they recall an ancient period in our history when Jewish na-Uonal life hung in the balance. The lessons and legends which we teach our children today, however, are of benefit .to grown-ups as well. For we are living in a time when the very survival of the whole human race stands in
jeopardy and when the continued survival of the Jewish people as a separate entity is considered by many of our foremost leaders to be in the gravest danger.
As Jewish citizens of Canada, w6 are, of course, deeply concerned with the ideological and political struggle between the two world power blocs, and it is in our interest that we give every encouragement to our government in its efforts to attain a lasting and just peace in this nuclear age.
But the survival of the Jewish people is another problem. Consider the situation: Both economically and militarily the position of Israel, the renewed Jewish homeland, is very far from secure, and it is generally accepted that unless the Israelis c6ntinue to make increased personal sacrifices and are assisted in even greater measure by the Jewish masses in the Diaspora,
that country's hopes for continued independent nationhood will be thwarted.
But the State of Israel's enemies are more easily definable than those facing the great Jewish collectives of the United States and Canada. The war-like threats of Arab rulers and -the economic dangers posed by trade deficits and unbalanced budgets are most discernible.
In the free democracies, however, there is a much more subtle enemy which threatens Jewish survival. Just as the Hellenists in the days of old wiere attracted by the materialism of their neighbors, so we, too, are now falling victim to its spell. Forgetting our traditions of learning and neglectful of the Law, we have turned to twentieth century idols which beckon us with streamlined eyes and stainless steel arms. True, there are some wbuld-be Antiochuses for whom anti-Semitism is a profession, but they have little or no influence in our democratic society. However, a greater power called Conformity, is making many harsh demands. How much more difficult it is, for example, to be a member of the "Pious" believers in a melting-pot society such as ours which encourages assimilation, than it is to be swept along with the ways and whims of the masses.
A story of sacrifice
If there is one lesson to be learned from the Chanuka story, it would seem to be, therefore, the lesson of personal sacrifice. The examples of sacrifice as related in the story of Hannah and her Seven Sons, the venerable Eleazer, and Mattathias and his five heroic sons may seem legendary yet they involve the greatest personal sacrifice. Such devotion by human beings to a cause is so foreign to us today that it seems almost in the realm of fantasy. No wonder it is even more difficult for us' to understand the concurring miracles which the Almighty performed.
Yet within our own lifetime we have seen a martyrdom unparalleled in human history as millions of our fellow-Jews went to their deaths because of their belief in God and because of their Jewishness. The re-establishment of the Jewish homeland after 2,000 years of exile was a direct result of that martyrdom.
For subsequently the remnants of Jews who survived the concentration camps joined the small, sparsely equipped army of Palestinian cha-lutzim and together they succeeded in fighting off and defeating in battle the attacking armies of five Arab nations. This is not legendary. They are the deeds of twentieth century Maccabees recorded in the files of every daily and weekly newspaper.
Yet such personal sacrifice is so foreign to our society and our way of life that we are reluctant to accept it as fact and it will seem legendary in much less than even a hundred years. How many persons have you already
heard decrying the historical novel because it contained too much fiction.
'Exodus"
It has often been said that miracles do not come to those who sit back and wait for them, that they happen only to those whp work and strive and sacrifice. If we properly appreciate the magnitude of the victory in the War of Liberation and of Sinai, then we must accept the fact that a miracle as great if not greater than that of Chanuka did, in fact, happen, as it wtere, before our very eyes in the early creation of the State of Israel.
If we recognize this we must be prepared to make the story of our own Chanuka as important a part of our lives as is the ancient story. This should serve to inspire us to develop a greater pride of being Jewish and a greater awareness of our responsibility to our people and to ourselves as Jews.
It is our conviction that our survival in the Diaspora, culturally and spiritually, is inextricably interwoven with those sacrifices that led fo Israel's rebirth, and that we in the Galuth must strive to forge stronger bonds of identification with this new spiritual Jewish centre.
It is our fervent hope that the Chanuka lights will send forth great rays of dedication which will inspire us to build a stronger, more enlightened Jewish community, pushing aside the shadowy doubts and differences that divide us and strengthening our affiliation with the new Jewish Republic for the benefit of all of us and mankind.
A happy Chanuka to all!
CARD OF THANKS
I wish to thank my friends and relatives for their many kindnesses during my stay in hospital. Special thanks to Rabbi B. Woythaler and Rabbi B. Goldenberg.
— ELI TASS
CARD OF THANKS
I would like to thank my relatives and friends for the kindness shown to me during my recent illness. Special thanks to Rabbi Woythaler.
- MRS. MAXi L. ABRAMS
CARD OF THANKS
I wish to thank my friends and relatives for their many kindnesses during my stay in hospital. Special thanks to Congregation Schara Tzedeck and Congregation Beth Israel and the Ladies' Auxiliary of Schara Tzedeck.
— MRS. BEN GORDON
Chanuka Greetings
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