We must represent Jewish history more responsibly
by Jacob Hoffman and Grace McMillan

The clear message of Chanukah is the need to maintain and, when necessary, fight for Jewish tradition and the freedom to practice Judaism.

In her D’var Torah the school’s Chanukah assembly, Ms. Grace McMillan described an unfortunate incident on Shavuot morning at the Kotel in 1997 when a group of ultra-Orthodox men attacked an egalitarian service being held on the Kotel plaza, a space in which Orthodox standards of separation of men and women during davening apply. To some students, she came across as praising the egalitarian group as modern-day Maccabees. However, both groups were embodying the Chanukah lesson in their own ways.

The Orthodox men, who objected to men and women davening together, believed that in taking a stand against this group they were defending God’s will and law. They saw the actions of the group as an attack on Judaism at the very heart of its holiest city.

By holding an egalitarian worship service on the Kotel plaza, the egalitarian group was committing an act of civil disobedience under Israeli law, but they truly believed that they had the right to daven at the Kotel in a way they believe serves God.

Ms. McMillan’s failure to make clear that both sides could be seen as Chanukah heroes is regrettable. Similarly, the way she described the behavior of the Orthodox men could have been interpreted as suggesting that all ultra-Orthodox people throw stones, swear and spit at people with whom they disagree. This is not the case. Their behavior was not representative of modern or ultra-Orthodoxy and its leaders. Ms. McMillan herself is an Orthodox Jew and it was as a member of the same denomination as these men that she was upset by their extreme behavior.

Her failure to make that clearer in her talk is unfortunate.

"Am Yisrael—and the JDS community—are made up of individuals and groups with a wide range of passionate beliefs. One should not hesitate to stand up for and defend one’s own beliefs, as this is essential for the continued existence of the Jewish people. This should not be done with violence, but with tolerance for other opinions."