At a White House Hanukkah reception, President Barack Obama paid
tribute to the Maccabees, who led the Jewish revolt against Hellenistic
pagan oppression during the 2nd century B.C.On December 14—ten days before the beginning of Hanukkah—Obama spoke about “the Maccabees’ unlikely military victory, and of great moral movements around the globe and across time.”
He added:
The first chapter of the Hanukkah story was written 22 centuries ago, when rulers banned religious rituals and persecuted Jews who dared to observe their faith. Which is why today we are asked not only to light the menorah, but to proudly display it…
Everybody in America can understand the spirit of this tradition. Proudly practicing our religion, whatever it might be—and defending the rights of others to do the same—that’s our common creed.References: