The Maccabees are widely credited with pioneering guerilla warfare.
By Hezy Laing
Hanukkah has long held a special resonance within theIDF, where the festival’s themes of resilience, light, and victory are woven into military tradition.
Each year, soldiers across bases from the Golan Heights to the Negev gather to light menorahs, often fashioned from improvised materials in the field – such as used shell casings.
The Chief Rabbi of the IDF, currently Brigadier General Eyal Krim, oversees ceremonies that emphasize continuity between the ancient Maccabees and modern defenders of Israel.
In December 2024, more than 400 menorahs were lit simultaneously at IDF bases, a symbolic act underscoring unity across divisions.
The IDF often invites bereaved families to join soldiers in lighting candles, linking personal sacrifice to national memory.
In 2023, during the war against Hamas following the October 7 massacre, soldiers lit menorahs in forward positions near Gaza, with commanders noting the symbolic power of light in times of darkness.
Hanukkah celebrations also include concerts by the IDF Orchestra, lectures on Jewish history, and visits from senior officers.
Chabad emissaries play a central role in IDF Hanukkah celebrations, distributing sufganiyot, organizing candle‑lighting events, and offering Torah study sessions.
They visit remote bases, ensuring soldiers feel connected to Jewish tradition even in combat zones.
Chabad’s outreach strengthens morale, fosters spiritual identity, and brings warmth and joy to military service.
The festival’s military dimension is not lost on the IDF.
The Maccabees, who fought in Judea in the second century BCE, are seen as precursors to modern Jewish soldiers.
Their victory over the Seleucid Empire is remembered not only as a miracle of faith but also as a triumph of strategy.
The Maccabees have their own special place in the history of warfare as they are widely credited with pioneering guerilla warfare.
They did this in the second century BCE, using ambushes, night raids, and knowledge of Judea’s terrain to outmaneuver the larger Seleucid armies.
Judah Maccabee’s forces, often numbering only a few thousand, defeated heavily armed Greek phalanxes by striking supply lines and retreating into the hills.
Their tactics—hit‑and‑run attacks, mobility, and reliance on local support—became a model for later insurgencies, marking one of history’s earliest examples of organized guerilla resistance.
In 2025, the IDF Education Corps organized seminars on the parallels between Maccabean tactics and contemporary asymmetric warfare, emphasizing adaptability and determination.
For today’s IDF soldiers, the Maccabees symbolize courage against overwhelming odds.
The story of a small band defeating a mighty empire resonates deeply, especially after events like the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Soldiers see themselves as heirs to Judah Maccabee’s determination, defending Israel’s survival with ingenuity and faith.
Lighting Hanukkah candles in combat zones becomes a reminder that resilience, unity, and belief in victory can transform adversity into triumph, just as it did two millennia ago.
