The Story of Chanukah - The Maccabees Arise

In the town of Modiin, west of Jerusalem, lived a man named Mattitiyahu (Mattithias). He was from the Hasmonean family, which is one of the branches of the Kohanim (priests). In 167 B.C.E., Syrian-Greek soldiers came to the town and demanded that the Jews sacrifice a pig to one of their gods. Knowing that Mattitiyahu was considered a righteous leader, they signaled him out. But Mattitiyahu refused to sacrifice the animal, even under threat of death. Not all the Jews of Modiin were so brave and devoted. When one of his fellow townsmen stepped forward and volunteered to sacrifice the pig, Mattitiyahu, outraged at the treacherous act, grabbed a sword and slew the heretic. Mattitiyahu’s sons joined him and they attacked the soldiers, decimating the force by the end of the day. Needless to say, Mattitiyahu and his sons fled Modiin and took refuge in the hills. While Mattitiyahu began the revolt, he did not live to see its end. After his passing, within a year of the start of the revolt, the leadership was taken up by his son Judah, a valiant soldier and a wise tactician. In the hill, Judah gathered a band of Jewish freedom fighters who were prepared to fight for the Jewish way of life. They became known as the Maccabees.