What Egypt Doesn’t Want for Gaza
President Sisi fears an Israeli victory—but only because it might not be complete.
December 13, 2023
Hanukkah Reminds Us That Freedom and Survival Only Come When We Fight for Them
The holiday’s uncomfortable lesson.
On Monday, the second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is himself Jewish, attracted much criticism for a social-media post about Hanukkah that mangled the holiday’s story and its significance. Arynne Wexler provides a less anodyne understanding of the holiday, grounded in the two books of Maccabees, which, although excluded from the Jewish canon, are the festival’s ur-texts. Their message is summed up in the verse: “For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary.” (1Maccabees 1, 3:59)
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Login or SubscribeDecember 13, 2023
Fear of the Campus Left, Not Concern about Free Speech, Motivates University Presidents
Misdirected anger.
Will Great Britain Protect Its Jews?
Celebrating murder in London.
Hanukkah Reminds Us That Freedom and Survival Only Come When We Fight for Them
The holiday’s uncomfortable lesson.
An Atheist’s Critique of Atheism, and Argument for Reading the Bible
Humanism, pessimism, and other philosophical questions.