How did Hanukkah transform from a story about a military conquest and temple rededication into the festival of lights that we celebrate today? In this episode, Yehuda Kurtzer studies texts about Hanukkah with Joshua Kulp, rosh yeshiva at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem and scholar of ancient Judaism. They argue about the meaning of Hanukkah as they explore the rabbinic relationship with militarism as well as historical and religious interpretations of the events connected to the Hanukkah story.

Identity/Crisis is a weekly podcast from the Shalom Hartman Institute about news and ideas.

Subscribe to Identity/Crisis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you receive your podcasts.