Was Hanukkah really a war of Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to forget?

Was Hanukkah really Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to bury under a story about oil?

In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz revisit the Hanukkah story through the sources. From Maccabees I and the politics of Ptolemy vs. Antiochus, to the lone Talmudic mention of the oil miracle (Shabbat 21b), they show how a messy internal power struggle became a clean miracle narrative.

1. Hanukah began as a Jewish civil war — not just Jews vs. Greeks.
2. Each generation rewrites the Maccabees to fit its own battles.
3. The shamash — the helper candle — may be Hanukkah's real hero today.

[00:00] Hanukkah beyond oil and miracles

[03:12] Why the Talmud barely explains Hanukkah

[05:01] The forgotten Jewish civil war

[07:22] Hellenists vs. Maccabees reexamined

[09:48] Power, empires, and internal factions

[12:30] Modern culture wars through Hanukkah

[14:55] Why the rabbis hid the conflict

[17:05] Hillel vs. Shammai as metaphor

[19:10] The shamash in Israeli children's stories

[23:40] Hanukkah as a model for unity

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Sefaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/695661

Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/

Imagine being told you belong to a faith that is fighting to keep you out—and refusing to leave.

In this week's Madlik, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz welcome Rabbi Steve Greenberg, the first openly gay Orthodox-ordained rabbi, for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation.

1. Vulnerability transforms the meaning of Torah.
2. Bottom-up change is reshaping Orthodoxy.
3. The tradition has the capacity — and the precedent — to grow.

[00:00:12]

Rabbi Steve Greenberg's coming-out context and the question of LGBTQ+ Jews as teachers of Torah.

[00:03:11]

Steve's Yom Kippur aliyah story and being vulnerable to the text.

[00:04:46]

Confronting the biblical verses; reframing what Leviticus might mean.

[00:06:22]

Tamar's courage and parallels to LGBTQ+ belonging.

[00:08:57]

"Bottom-up Judaism": queer Jews staying, not leaving — shifting the halachic landscape.

[00:11:39]

Google rabbis, post-COVID authority shifts, and personal autonomy in community life.

[00:15:08]

Israeli changes: rejecting the Rabbanut, forming new models of partnership.

[00:17:42]

A painful role-play with a rabbi exposes how harmful "lifelong celibacy" messaging is for gay teens.

[00:21:19]

New data on LGBTQ+ rabbinical students and why queer spiritual sensitivity strengthens Jewish leadership.

[00:24:56]

Parents as powerful advocates: Orthodox families pushing shuls and schools to stop rejecting their children.

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Sefaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/691629

Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/

Eshel: https://www.eshelonline.org/

Beneath the surface, Israel is fighting for the soul of its religion — and most of us don't even see the battle lines.

In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Professor Adam S. Ferziger to explore the quiet revolution reshaping Israeli Judaism. Drawing on his new book, Agents of Change, Ferziger reveals how American Modern Orthodoxy—its values, institutions, and worldview—has profoundly influenced Religious Zionism and the broader Israeli religious landscape. From the tension between nationalism and modernity to the emergence of a new Israel-born generation, we uncover the cultural, political, and spiritual crossroads Israel now faces. Beneath the surface, Israel is fighting for the soul of its religion—and American Jews are playing a bigger role than anyone expected.

1. American Modern Orthodoxy Has Become a Quiet Force in Israeli Judaism
2. Israeli Religious Zionism Is Splitting Into Two Distinct Paths
3. Israel's Next Generation of Leaders Will Be Religious — But Neither Haredi or National Religious

• [00:00:00] Jacob returns from exile with wealth, family, and a new identity; exile reframed as productive, not just punishment.
• [00:01:00] Intro to Professor Adam Ferziger and his book Agents of Change about American Jews reshaping Israeli Judaism.
• [00:02:00] Host sets the frame: modern Orthodoxy's influence on Israeli religious life, education, feminism, and LGBTQ inclusion.
• [00:03:00] Ferziger's personal story: gap year yeshiva, Aliyah in 1987, building family and rabbinic life in Kfar Saba.
• [00:04:54] Early political snapshot: the failed "Meimad" experiment and how Anglo moderates felt marginal and deviant.
• [00:06:36] Shift in the 2000s: religious-Zionist camp diversifies; modern Orthodox voices gain legitimacy and visibility.
• [00:09:05] Explaining American Modern Orthodoxy: Torah plus general culture, YU, day schools, Rav Soloveitchik's synthetic model.
• [00:14:10] Rise of "Hardal": nationalist-Haredi style religiosity, stricter halakha, and a more redemptive, messianic Zionism.
• [00:21:45] The "agents of change": eight American rabbis/educators whose Israeli students indigenize and radicalize their ideas.
• [00:34:15] Why this matters beyond religion: "Israeli Judaism" and how moderate Orthodox trends may shape Israel's future leadership.

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Sefaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/692993

Transcript here: https://madlik.substack.com/

Adam Ferziger's Book https://nyupress.org/9781479817559/agents-of-change/