Who Are the Maccabees: Heroes or Fanatics?

Along with a minute long video introducing the Maccabees role in the Hanukkah story, this thought-provoking article by Michele Alperin presents the celebrated Jewish heroes as multi-layered historical figures who acted as both national liberators and violent religious zealots. Referring to the First and Second Books of Maccabees, the  context in which they were written, and the different ways in which they have been interpreted throughout history, the author discusses the various Jewish responses to Hellenism. These resources were produced by My Jewish Learning, a website empowering Jewish discovery for anyone interested in learning more.