Brotherhood of Man

Q.

Something about Hanukkah makes me uncomfortable. In reading the story I see a battle between ideals of diversity and conformity – the Hellenists and Greeks promoting freedom of expression, a Judaism mixed with modern culture, while the religious Jews fought to defend their homogenous, strictly traditionalist observance. I’m ok with people practicing religion in a traditional way, if that’s what they want to do, but if the religious Jews were trying to impose “their” version of Judaism on the Hellenists… Put it this way, if it happened today I know which side I’d be on. I don’t know how I feel about celebrating that victory. It seems to run contrary to my own values. 

A.

You pose a very sophisticated question, and I appreciate the depth in it. You’ve clearly done your research and are truly trying to get in touch with the events of the day. 

Let’s try to work through some of the assumptions here and see if you’re right about whose side you’d be on. The outcome may surprise you! 

The Greeks were, in fact, known for their willingness to embrace new cultures, and incorporate their conquests' philosophies and accomplishments in really admirable ways. They sought to learn from every people they encountered and integrate the best of what all the nations had to offer. For the most part, they were incredibly egalitarian for a conquering nation – they would generally allow each country to retain their own traditions and culture… As long as they incorporated their own beliefs with Greek culture as well. The Greeks were very comfortable with adding new beliefs and deities to their already-pagan system, and saw it as a universalist ideal. Everyone comes together and serves the same expanded set of gods, a venerable brotherhood of man. 

Their willingness to absorb anyone and anything does imply some degree of inclusion. But it certainly had its limits. One caveat was that the annexed nations were expected to join the ideological melting pot. And most didn’t have an issue with that. They belonged to the greatest nation on earth, had a decent amount of religious freedom, and even contributed to this global religion.

The one inevitable exception was the Jews. Monotheism. Simply put, you can’t just “add” a monotheistic deity to a list of other deities. 

Which would explain why the Jews were the only religion that was fundamentally suppressed by ancient Greece. They were the only nation who was expected to actually give up their ideology in order to conform, rather than just get "added on" or "thrown into the mix" like the others. 

The Hellenists, who were the part of the Jewish people intent on assimilating with the new host country’s culture, were excited to jump into that melting pot and shed their religious distinctions. And we can all understand what the appeal in that may have been at the time. Greece was the bastion of beauty, enlightenment and progress. It’s exciting, you want to belong and participate. To some, that was true even if it meant losing part of your identity. 

But there was a handful of Jews that saw diversity differently. To them, it didn’t mean shedding your differences in order to fit in. It meant appreciating what each nation and each person has to offer and allowing that to shine. Interestingly, Jews have a similar history of integrating cultural and technological developments from surrounding nations into their own lifestyle. But even with that, one thing had to remain distinct in order to characterize their identity as Jews through the generations: their religious integrity. 

On Chanukah, one of the blessings said over the candles guides us to express gratitude to God for the miracles He did in past times – which echo into our present. Diversity and inclusion are major hot-button issues today. No doubt they deserve the attention. Unfortunately, the rhetoric surrounding diversity today usually implies that the value is “you align with my positions and ideas” and then, congrats, you’ve checked the box of diversity. Every social, ethnic, and political group on the planet (yes, Jews included) bellows incessantly into cyberspace about their need to be accepted, understood, validated and included. For everyone else to see the world the way they do. Those are important things. But calling for adherence to a particular perspective in the name of diversity is just missing the point. 

A planet where distinct peoples can live harmoniously, seeing each other’s differences and honoring them, is called inclusive. Appreciating multiple perspectives, intellectual integrity, varied narratives, that’s called diversity. It takes a certain courage to hold another’s perspective without having to judge it as right or wrong, and merely allow it to be theirs. It takes even more courage to be able to consider that truth and how it might affect or enhance your own. It's okay to think critically, it's okay to disagree. But it has to be done with a certain amount of respect and consideration.

The religious Jews at the time didn’t fight for religious fundamentalism. They didn’t fight to force anyone else to be like them. They fought for the true meaning of diversity. For the right to own their truth even though it was different from the accepted mainstream. They were not afraid to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of Greek culture, art, and philosophy. But they also wanted to own their monotheistic ideology alongside it. 

So don’t be mistaken. The Greeks weren’t champions of diversity. They were universalists. Everyone come be yourself, just be like me, and we’re all good. By contrast, the religious, retrograde, traditionalist, anti-assimilation Jews represented particularism. It’s okay for people to be different. We are a distinct people, and you can be, too. Let’s find things that we can appreciate about each other without having to lose our identities. Which version of “diversity” truly respects differences? 

When you celebrate Chanukah and internalize the values that the Torah Jews then were battling for, namely particularism, appreciation of each narrative, and true diversity, you should feel comfortable identifying with them. And remember, it’s to their credit that any of us Jews are here today at all.

So, which side was it that you thought you’d be on?