The ceremony of Chanuk candle inflammation, organized in small Rock, Arkansas by Chabad Lubavich, sparked considerable emotion and media noise. The incident, described by the Jerusalem Post, was a battlefield between American leftist anti-Zionist Jews, anti-Israeli activists and representatives of Christian Zionism. In the background of the events was Mike Huckabee – the future US Ambassador to Israel, nominated by Donald Trump.
Ideological confusion
Taste of Olam Haba and small stone Peace for Palestine, along with left-wing anti-Zionist Jews, disrupted the event by expressing their opposition to Mike Huckabee’s political and spiritual beliefs. The protest referred to Huckabee’s position as ordained Baptist pastor and a staunch supporter of Israel. Among his controversial views are, among others, opposition to the establishment of the Palestinian State and the negation of the existence of the Palestinian people.
Christian Zionism in the spotlight
Huckabee is simply a typical of Christian Zionism, an ideology according to which support for Israel is crucial for speeding up the parousia, or re-coming of Jesus Christ. His position is based on the belief that the judaic people should be able to inhabit the full land of Israel, leading to the acceptance of illegal judaic settlements in occupied areas.
According to Huckabee, Palestine is not occupied and the Palestinians are not a separate nation. These views were met with harsh criticism from left-wing Jews and anti-Israeli activists.
Protests in a Spirit of Equality
The protest participants opposed Huckabee’s participation in the ceremony, stressing their opposition to Christian Zionism and policies supporting Israel at the expense of Palestinians. Among the protesters' demands were:
- Support equal rights for Jews and Palestinians;
- Criticism of unconditional support for the Israeli Government;
- The condemnation of illegal settlements in occupied areas.
The disruption of the event refers to akin protests that had taken place earlier in the context of Israel's global policy. However, specified speeches are not common during spiritual ceremonies, which has besides attracted public attention.
Chabad Lubavich and the function of religion in Politics
Chabad Lubavich, known for promoting conventional values of Judaism, frequently engages in actions supporting judaic national identity. Huckabee’s participation in the Khanukov ceremony underlines the importance of cooperation between religions in the context of Israel’s support. However, for protesters, specified a combination of religion and politics is simply a controversial topic.
Conclusions and implications
The small stone event shows how intense the issue of support for Israel and the relation between religion and politics is. The protest of left-wing Jews and anti-Israeli activists is an expression of opposition to the ideology of Christian Zionism, stressing the request for equality and justice for all inhabitants of the region.
This event reminds us that even spiritual ceremonies can become an arena of ideological disputes, which complicates the already complex situation in the mediate East. Further relations between the Zionist movement and its opponents will most likely be a key subject in the coming years.
Last night, Protestants disrupted the authoritative Menorah Lighting in small Rock, Arkansas, shouting at families during a peaceful celebration where erstwhile politician & Ambassador to Israel-designate Mike Huckabee was the honored guest.
This table antisemitism is unacceptable—theose... pic.twitter.com/y5dfQitYeA
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) December 26, 2024
Continued here:
American Jews, like Braun, disrupted pagan Hanukkah Disorder
