Wednesday, May 06, 2015

Bar Kokhba's pyrrhic victory

ELON GILAD: The Bar Kochba revolt: A disaster celebrated by Zionists on Lag Ba'Omer. On Lag Ba'Omer, Israeli children celebrate the Jewish rebels' victory over the Romans 2,000 years ago. Yet as victories go, Simon Bar Kochba's was a Pyrrhic one (Haaretz).
While many view the Bar Kochba Revolt as a tale of heroism, - it is equally a case study in the folly of religious and nationalistic fanaticism. Either way, it is a seminal moment in Jewish history.
Some past discussions of the Bar Kokhba revolt, many in the context of Lag B'Omer, are noted here, here, here, here, here, and here. And the site of Betar (Battir) has been in the news a lot lately.

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