We’re a little over a week out from Hanukkah. I love Hanukkah, absolutely love it. I think Christians should pay a lot more attention to Hanukkah than some do. A short synopsis is that Antiochus IV didn’t want Judaism to continue as well, Judaism. He wanted HELLENIZED Judaism, Judaism “lite”. In other words, not Judaism. The penalties for actually being Jewish AND living Jewish were very severe. Women and infants were not excepted from the bloodshed. Shabbat and festival observance, forbidden. Possession of the Torah, forbidden. And he burned all the copies he could find. Circumcision, forbidden. Ritual sacrifice, forbidden. In other words, he might, maybe let you live, but not as a Jew. Not a real one, not a Torah observant one. Going along with this was the progressives know as Hellenistic Jews. They were evil then, they are evil now. Antiochus IV did his best to eradicate Judaism and Jews from the land of Israel. He failed. He failed because of a family living in Modi-in מוֹדִיעִין

The Maccabees. The Maccabees had a Southern girl kind of attitude. Someone showed up on their farm and told them they were going to sacrifice a pig to a pagan god. They said “HELLenized NO, Judah, get the shotgun!”. From there the Maccabees opened up a can of “whoopbutt” and in the end, not only did G-d work through the Maccabees to ensure the continuation of Judaism as it was written, but they retook the Holy Temple, cleaned it out, literally, and restored and rededicated it. And Torah continued to be taught, people continued to learn it, and Jews continued to live as Jews in the land of Israel.

I’m sure my hero Judah Maccabee is absolutely astonished to find out that part of Modi-in is not in Israel. According to the PeeeeUEU, they think part of it is Jordanianishish.

These types of misunderstandings seem to be a common occurrence in Israel.

Let’s look briefly at Judea and Samaria. Biblical history, and archeological history show us Jews lived there for thousands of years. They didn’t leave on their own, they were conquered and forced to leave. When the one Jewish state in the whole world was established the arabs were offered a two state solution. They rejected it and went to war. Israel, the tiny one day old nation, won. In 1950 Jordan illegally annexed Judea and Samaria. The outrage from the UN was heard round the world. Just kidding. You know who was outraged? The annexation was regarded as illegal and void by the Arab League and others. Huh. Of course Jordan also controlled Har Habayit, the Temple Mount. And while they controlled it, it was SO important to arabs it was left to decay pretty much. Egypt occupied the Gaza strip. Israel and Jordan signed an agreement, sort of a land for peace deal. In it Israelis were to be allowed access to their holy places. From the same link:

A Special Committee was to be formed to make arrangements for safe movement of traffic between Jerusalem and Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, along the Latrun-Jerusalem Highway, free access to the Holy Places, and other matters. The committee was never formed, and access to the Holy Places was denied to Israelis throughout the Jordanian occupation. The remainder of the area designated as part of an Arab state under the UN Partition Plan was partly occupied by Egypt (Gaza Strip), partly occupied and annexed by Israel (West Negev, West Galilee, Jaffa). The intended international enclave of Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. The Jordanians immediately expelled all the Jewish residents of East Jerusalem. All but one of the 35 synagogues in the Old City were destroyed over the course of the next 19 years, either razed or used as stables and chicken coops. Many other historic and religiously significant buildings were replaced by modern structures. The ancient Jewish cemetery on Mount of Olives was desecrated, and the tombstones were used for construction, paving roads and lining latrines; the highway to the Intercontinental Hotel was built on top of the site.

In other words, it worked out as well as all Israel’s land for peace deals have. It didn’t.

So Jordan had control of Judea and Samaria on the West Bank of the Jordan River, until 1967. When G-d gave it back to Israel along with Har Habayit. As we all know by now, Moshe Dayan promptly gave that back. In 1967 tiny Israel won back large amounts of land. But unlike any other country that won land in a defensive war, they tried trading it back to the attacking countries for peace.

But this is about Judea and Samaria and the Jordanians. While the land was under Jordanian control, Jordan awarded land to people, to have arab names listed as owners. They did not purchase the land, they have not lived on the land, they have not cultivated the land, nor have they payed taxes on it. I’m sure somewhere in Israel in a nice rural area there is a farm with my name on the title. One with a lovely horse barn and indoor riding arena. I have memories of it, I’m sure. Yes, it’s kind of like that. The “owners” in fact, may not even know they own it.

Which brings me to Amona. Amona is a little town in one of those areas. It was built with the knowledge of the Israeli government. The permits to run water and electricity were provided by the Israeli government. Established in 1995 Amona has seen her share of sorrow. More than her share. In 2006 it was decided that part of the homes there were on “private falestinian land” and they were demolished. This sentence doesn’t even BEGIN to describe what took place. Effie Eitam is actually a friend of a friend of mine, and former MK Eitam called it as a pogrom. The video story in the “Eitam” link is fascinating if you have a few minutes, but it’s not about Amona.

But the houses that weren’t demolished, were allowed to stay, all is well. Carry on, nothing to see here. Until now. Now it’s been decided due to a activist high court and the help of some anti-Israel left wing activists that Amona must go. The homes will be torn down, just like 10 years ago. Families will be displaced, just like 10 years ago. Will people die just like 10 years ago? I don’t know, please G-d no.

It’s not like things like this have never happened in the United States for political reasons. They have. During the civil war, or the War of Northern Aggression, depending, there was General order #11. A truly horrific thing of which the Lone Jack Historical Society stated:

Order #11 was the most heinous order ever issued during the Civil War. It depopulated Jackson, Cass, Bates, & part of Vernon Counties and reduced this area to ashes. It was the first time in America’s history that a United States president endorsed such a violent act against citizens within his own country.

This order was issued, not in retaliation of Quantrill’s burning of Lawrence as so many believe, but to quell a rebellion within the state that was gaining momentum, one that the Federal Government was powerless to control.

People were evicted based on where they lived, if it was a mile outside of certain areas. And all your grain and crops were taken. Pretty much along with everything else.

And, it’s not like it couldn’t happen again what with barry’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, another frog in pot barry scheme. I heard Stanley Kurtz talking about this on the radio last year.

AFFH is easily one of President Obama’s most radical initiatives, on a par with Obamacare in its transformative potential. In effect, AFFH gives the federal government a lever to re-engineer nearly every American neighborhood — imposing a preferred racial and ethnic composition, densifying housing, transportation, and business development in suburb and city alike, and weakening or casting aside the authority of local governments over core responsibilities, from zoning to transportation to education. Not only the policy but the political implications are immense — at the presidential, congressional, state, and local levels.

So yes, some poor day we could find ourselves in the same predicament as Amona. And for about as sensible a reason. To fulfill some left-wing political loons vision. The high court of Israel? Left-wing. The “human rights” groups that help the poor falestinians that didn’t know they owned land or pay taxes on it to destroy a village, left-wing. The AFFH? Oh yeah, left-wing lunacy. A very potent reminder of why we don’t need or want a left-wing dominated Supreme Court.

And when is this destruction to take place in Amona? When are the people suppose to be evacuated or the government will send the troops and police to remove them? A mission that some of the police and troops have publicly said they want no part of? At the end of Shabbat, the 24^th of Kislev, December 24^th. The first night of Hanukkah. In Amona, there will be no joyful lighting of the hanukkiyah. No families gathering around to enjoy latkas and sufganiyot. Because a G-dless left-wing high court doesn’t even FLIPPING KNOW when Hanukkah IS??!! The holiday that celebrates Jews being allowed to live as Jews in Israel, and celebrates the miracle of the return of sanctity to the Temple. Har Habayit was AGAIN returned to the Jews in 1967 when they also won control of Judea and Samaria. But like the Maccabees of old, the current Maccabees fighting to retain control of the Jewish villages in Judea and Samaria face the Hellenized Jews of today who are more than willing to bow down and lick the feet of the EU and John Kerry and a world that will never believe that Jews belong in Israel until they themselves believe it.

So חג חנוכה שמח Happy Hanukkah Amona. Now grab you hanukkiyah and get out. Judah? Are you still around?

My anger aside, if you care to, would you please pray for Amona?