When I first arrived in the United States as a student from Canada, I attended an interesting colloquium on chanukiyot, the menorahs used to celebrate the festival of Chanukah.
As the professor discussed the various artists who created the menorahs, we saw images of famous chanukiyot projected on a screen.
Eventually, I saw an image of a chanukiyah in which there were eight Statues of Liberty each holding a candle aloft. At the time, I thought this was a little schlocky or touristy; but in time, I began to appreciate the connections.
We all know the story of Chanukah, about how the Maccabees defeated the oppressive forces of the Seleucid empire, which were seeking to destroy Judaism and had used the Jerusalem Temple for the worship of the Greek gods. The Maccabees liberated the Temple and cleared it of the idols.
Judah and his followers built a new altar that they dedicated on the 25th of Kislev in 164 B.C.E. Since the Seleucids had stolen the golden menorah, the Maccabees had to make a new one.
According to the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 21), when they wanted to light it, they found only a small flask of pure olive oil. There was only enough oil to light the menorah for one day, but by a miracle, it continued to burn for eight days, long enough for new oil to be made.
There are a number of interpretations of the meaning of the miracle in this story. Some say it meant that God had returned to the Jewish people; others say the miracle was the defeat of an army much more powerful than the Maccabees.
I believe the miracle is that in the face of an often harsh and difficult world, the Maccabees were able to find enough faith to kindle a light they knew could quickly become extinguished; perhaps it was a light of liberty.
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Imagine — for 125 years this symbol of America has served as a beacon to the world.
For so many years Lady Liberty has served as a beacon of hope for immigrants the world over, people searching for a life better than the one they left behind in their country; a land that, as U.S. Jewish poet Emma Lazarus wrote in her poem “The New Colossus,” which is inscribed on the statue itself, invites and welcomes “huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
Many, if not most, of the ancestors of America’s Jewish population gazed at the Statue of Liberty as they landed on its shores, seeking the golden land of opportunity. A nation where anyone can make it if they try, a country where regardless of economic position, race or creed, there is an equal opportunity to succeed.
However, it is worth noting that just blocks away from the celebrations on Oct. 28 marking the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty there were protests on Wall Street.
From what I can best understand from those that are protesting, they are concerned by the lack of equal opportunity or upward mobility that has come about as a result of current economic realities.
There are many in our community who agree and disagree with their sentiments. But my hope is that, in whatever camp you might find yourself, you would think of your ancestors as they kindled that light of liberty long ago, despite the knowledge that it would most likely not be sustained, but in hope of a miracle.
Or think of our tired, poor, and huddled ancestors who looked at the light of liberty with the hope of making a life of meaning and substance in a new world; and perhaps most important, think of those 125 new immigrants who are experiencing a new beginning, filled with hopes of success and opportunity. Their American story is in the process of being defined and we must work to create the same opportunities that existed for our ancestors.
When I saw that Statue of Liberty menorah, I realized that, though it might have seemed schlocky at first, this chanukiah was symbolic of a beautiful convergence of values and ideals; values and ideals perhaps held by our Maccabee ancestors and most certainly held by our Jewish community today.
During this Chanukah season may we rededicate ourselves to the task of liberty, kindle the dreams of those who are working to create a new life in this land, and together we will sustain the miracle.
Rabbi Noah Chertkoff is associate rabbi at Congregation Shalom.
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