Freedom and Toleration at Mount Vernon

Bethany Murphy / December 09, 2010

The Hanukkah miracle begins with the story of the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus making the observance of Judaism punishable by death. The Jews fought back, and against seemingly insurmountable odds, reclaimed Jerusalem and the Temple which had been desecrated by Antiochus’ army. After reclaiming the Temple, the Jews were disappointed to find that there was only one day’s worth of oil left to burn in the Temple. The Hanukkah miracle is that this one-day supply of oil lasted eight nights. On this, the last day of Hanukkah, American Jews have another miracle to be thankful for.

For the first time in world history, Jews have not only been allowed in a country, but welcomed into it, sewn into the fabric of society. The unique freedom found in America is made clear in President George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport. Washington wrote: (more…)