Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Judah Maccabee’s Nobel acceptance speech

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/12/14/1009730/judah-maccabees-nobel-acceptance-speech
Judah Maccabee’s Nobel acceptance speech
By Judah Maccabee · December 14, 2009
Editor's note: The following was adapted from the author's speech upon 
accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. Special thanks to Rabbi Stuart 
Weinblatt of Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, Md., for passing it 
along.
OSLO (JTA) -- Ladies and Gentlemen of the Nobel Committee, I would like 
to thank you for bestowing upon me this prestigious honor. I am humbled 
and deeply grateful to you for recognizing the significance of the 
victory we have recently won against the Selucids. I accept the award 
today not just for myself, but on behalf of my brothers and my late 
father, Mattathias, who inspired us, as well as all those who fought 
with us.
I come here from Jerusalem where we just lit a small cruse of oil in the 
Temple after cleaning things up and holding a ceremony of rededication. 
We are hoping the light will last a few days. If we can get it to last 
eight days, some say it will be a real miracle.
I recognize at the outset that some have been critical of the committee 
for its selection.  There will be those who find it ironic that this 
prize would be bestowed upon a man who led fighters in battle. But in 
making their decision, the members of the Nobel Committee recognize that 
there are times when it is necessary to resort to force to fight for 
important principles and to procure a secure peace. War has been with us 
since the beginning of time, and I fear and suspect that this will not 
be the last one to be fought. Yet we must never stop wanting and working 
for peace.
As a small minority living in the province of Judea, our people faced a 
difficult choice and were presented with few options. The Syrian Empire 
and its cruel king Antiochus Epiphanes attempted to impose their will 
upon us. They desecrated our holy sites, destroyed our places of 
worship, ruthlessly attacked us and wanted us to give up our unique 
teachings to conform to their ways. There were those among my people who 
wanted to go along with them and were willing to adopt the Greek way of 
life.
Yet my brothers and those who joined us realized that to do so would 
mean cultural genocide (a word that will be invented in about 2,000 
years), and would have resulted in the end of our religion, our people 
and our way of life. Quite simply, we were not willing to allow this to 
happen.
To quote from a future president of a nation who will one day address 
this body, “To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call 
to cynicism -- it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man 
and the limits of reason.”
Our people, the Jewish people, have taught the world many important 
lessons about the importance of peace and how and when to wage war. Our 
ancestor Moses understood the complexity of the relationship between war 
and peace. He taught us to be like his brother Aaron, to always pursue 
peace. Not just to seek peace, but to pursue peace.
Our rabbis are currently beginning work on developing the liturgy that 
will become the standard form of prayer for our people and which we hope 
will last and be used for thousands of years. Although their work is not 
yet complete, I am free to let you know that the liturgy committee 
recently made an important decision: We will include two prayers for 
peace, “Sim Shalom” and “Shalom Rav,” at the end of each service. (The 
music committee has already come up with a number of ways to sing the 
two different prayers, so we think it will be a hit.) These are but a 
few examples of our passionate desire to bring peace to the world.
And yet we must have a sober view of reality. There are some who will 
not respond to reason and who will ruthlessly repress and oppress their 
own people as well as others. They will pursue their goals of domination 
and brutally seek to impose their will on unwilling subjects. Are we to 
allow force to be used by those bent on destruction against the good or 
the innocent? Inaction can be disastrous and lead to even worse 
consequences. While negotiations must always be the first course of 
action, it must not be an end in and of itself, for peace is much more 
than the absence of war.
In our recent conflict for example, when our people were attacked on 
Shabbat, we were confronted with a difficult dilemma. The enemy knew of 
our traditions and of our commitment to pursuing peace and of our 
reluctance to raise arms, especially on the holy day of rest. Typical of 
their cruelty, they assumed that we would be passive and not resist. Our 
rabbis debated and concluded that there are times when it is justified 
to take up arms in self-defense.
One day a recipient of this same Peace Prize, one who has come to 
understand that there are times when war is necessary, may even say 
something that our sages would teach:  “I understand why war is not 
popular, but I also know this: The belief that peace is desirable is 
rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace 
entails sacrifice ... We can acknowledge that oppression will always be 
with us and still strive for justice.”
Concepts the Jewish people have taught the world, and which that future 
American president will express (even if he doesn’t acknowledge that the 
source is the Torah), is the concept of a “just war” as well as of the 
importance of sparing civilians from violence. Our soldiers abide by a 
concept we have introduced to the world known as "tohar neshek" -- the 
purity of arms. We are proud to maintain that principles of morality 
must be followed, even when waging war. All of these notions are found 
in our sacred scroll, the Torah, and are being expanded and refined by 
our sages as we speak.
Our people understand all too well that there is a delicate balance 
between peace and war. I close by citing the words of the prophet 
Zechariah: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord 
of Hosts.” Let us hope and work for a lasting peace, a peace predicated 
upon respecting the rights of all.
“Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu ve’al kol yisrael" -- 
"May the One who makes peace in heaven bring peace to all of Israel," 
and to all the world. And may God’s work be our mission.
(Judah Maccabee is a member of the Hasmonean dynasty and led the Jewish 
revolt against Antiochus.)

 eight days, some say it will be a real miracle.
Le religioni sono come le lucciole: per splendere hanno bisogno delle
tenebre. (Arthur Schopenhauer)