Because Zvi's comments on today's original post about Hanukkah as a story of the fight against assimilation, are so important, so clearly stated and so wrong, I want to respond.
The quick response is that far from "careless", my reading of history is actually historical. While it may not comfort the pietists amongst us, it is grounded in historic fact, not a seemless religious narrative which fits past events into contemporary religious thought and practice.
Specifically, I never mentioned rabbinic opposition to Greek language or culture in my piece because at the time of the Maccabees there was no such thing as rabbis! The Mishnah, to which Zvi refers, dates to a period 300 years after the Hanukkah story. And because I suspect Zvi has no objection to rendering the Torah into languages other than Greek, even if such study is not the same as reading it in Hebrew, it is quite irelevent anyway.
As to the redefiniton of Jewish law which Zvi finds so disquieting, we should be entirely clear: there is not a shred of evidence for the concept of "pikuah nefesh" (violating the law to save a life) from this period. Ironically, this may have been its first entry onto the relgious scene. To be sure, it was integrated into the law and is now normative, but that was not always the case. In fact, that's the point. Everything we come to see as normative was once transgressive.
And for those interested in a better understanding of hellenism, I suggest the work of either Morton Smith or his student and my teacher, Shaye J.D. Cohen.
Finally, while I do not agree with all of Tom Tsuka's conclusions, each issue he raises must be addressed -- and not from the "us vs. them" perspective which permeates so much of religious conversation. We might start by acknowledging that among followers of pretty much every faith, "assimilation" is too often simply the word we use for people following the faith in ways with which we disagree. And unless we think we are God, we would all do well to dial back on that kind of language.
Zvi, please keep reading and coomenting! Your remarks about yesterday's post on the House's lone republican, Eric Cantor , were fascinating.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
Blessings and More Blessings! These comments have made my heart soar with joy and love. Thank you. G-d is here... in your (our) hearts!
Thanks again Rabbi - and a Happy Chanukah to you and your family as well.
Scott,
My son had a legit conversion - beit din and mikveh. There was, however, no brit meileh, but that is because he has a severe form of hemophillia, and is "excused" even in most Conservative circles.
Scott R.
I misunderstood your prior post. I thought someone was telling you that your son still wasn't Jewish just because his Mom wasn't.
Personally, I have a problem with requiring a minor to undergo conversion as long as one of his parents is Jewish that should be good enough, but I would have done what you did and follow the law as it now stands.
I am hoping that we Jews reach a consensus of sorts that while the Haredim are Jews, their rules as to who is and who is not a Jew is not determinative for other Jews. If the ultra-Orthodox etc want to live by stricter rules for themselves that's fine, but their word should no longer be taken as Law.
Scott,
Well said! We are all in your debt for three reasons:
1) the willingness to re-visit old conclusions is the start of all new wisdom, and your first point proves that.
2)You willingness to talk about this very personal issue from a personal perspective, and not hide behind what others say is crucial.
3)Your understanding that we can have multiple religious definitions of Jewishness while remaining one people is vital. In case you did not know it, that view is rooted in the tradition. In the time of the Hebrew Bible, there were many ways to be a part of "Israel" even if they were not all the same.
Like then, we are a powerful and sucessful people and the idea that there should be multiple membership categories is more than reasonable. And your premise that one can be a part of the Jewish people w/o meeting the religious demands of all members of the community is as old as the the Torah itself.
Dear Rabbi Brad:
Thank you for your kind words.
It would be nice if we had a new system for Responsa wherein Israel and Diaspora could all contribute. I fear we have abandoned responsibility for Torah to narrow minded intellectual bullies. Power tends to corrupt and I see the right wing to be corrupting of Jewish life. I find the carrying aloft the picture of Rabbi Schneerson during the Chabad telethons to be inappropriate as well as their pretension that they alone know who is good Jew. While I do not advocate their removal, I do wish we would develop some mechanism whereby world Jewry from the most secular to the most insular could contribute opinions. Right now the quasi-monopoly of the Theocrats is not acceptable.
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