(originally published December 16, 2021 / 12 Tevet 5782)

Each 25 Kislev commemorates the victory of the Maccabees against the Seleucid Greeks and the Hellenistic ideology they sought to foist upon the Jewish Nation. The ultimate miracle of Chanukah was the successful ignition of the Holy Temple’s menorah for eight nights rather than the one night for which its oil supply was projected to last. The Maccabees’ heroism highlighted Jewish ‘toughness’ then as did the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during the Holocaust. The Israel Defense Forces ultimately draws its heritage from the Maccabees’ example.

On this past Chanukah’s third night, Dr. Frager celebrated Chanukah with Jerry Wartski (a man who faced the same Nazis as the heroic fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto), television personality Brian Hesgeth, Jonathan Burkan and Jay Kestenbaum. Together, they discussed several ideas to help grow the Israel Heritage Foundation so that its mission and reach may help inspire the Jewish nation and heal the world.