If you had told me last Hanukkah that after a year of war with Hamas, the Israeli hostages would still be stuck in Gaza, I wouldn't have believed you.
There's reason to feel bleak this week, especially on the heels of yet another seemingly dead deal with Hamas. Yet, I'm more optimistic about Israel's future than ever.
What Israel has done in the last year is a true Hanukkah miracle to celebrate. Last Hanukkah, Hamas was stronger than ever, so was Hezbollah, and thus Iran was more emboldened than ever. Today, the snake's head has been nearly decapitated; as a bonus result of Israel's sophisticated war prowess, Bashar Assad, Iran's puppet leader in Syria, has fallen too.
This week, 60 Minutes aired an exclusive veiled interview with Mossad agents involved in the beeper explosion operation in Lebanon, which was so miraculous it hardly seemed real. The quote that stood out to me most was when one agent was questioned about how people can avoid the horrid fate so many have met. He said simply, "Don't mess with us."
So, the Hanukkah miracle is Israel.
Celebrating our Hanukkah miracle
On this holiday, we celebrate oil that lasted eight days; well, the State of Israel has now lasted almost 80 years. Now, a new Middle East is being shaped before our very eyes, faster than most could have dreamed of, and with new stern support back in Washington, there has never been a better time to celebrate a Hanukkah miracle.
The Jewish people have done many incredible things throughout our long history as the oldest mainstream religion. Yet, this year feels like something new and bigger. We used drones to take out Sinwar, hidden explosions in Iran to kill Haniyeh, and a magical dome in the sky to protect half the world's Jews from constant rockets. Surviving isn't a new skill for our people, but doing it in the technological era is. God has given our people so many gifts.
This Hanukkah/New Years, which I'm simplifying as "Jew Years," you can mourn our brothers and sisters still hostage in Gaza while also holding space for the fact that, once again, the Jewish people seem to be pulling off the miraculous by not only surviving but thriving. Hanukkah represents this allegory more than anything. Since the holiday falls on such a forward-looking day, let's use it to look back at Israel's miracles that have changed the Middle East since last year's more solemn Hanukkah celebration. Simultaneously, we'll have to keep praying for the Jewish people to pull off even more miracles in 2025.
May our enemies continue to lose the plot in this coming year.