Scouting has long acknowledged the pluralistic nature of American Society. For decades it has operated in the belief that one is no less an American if he is an Afro-American, an oriental American, or a Jewish American, and that Americas greatness, in large measure, stems from its ability to integrate its distinct ethnic and religious populations into a workable democratic whole. Indeed, one of Scouting's strengths has been its capacity to further the concept that America's diverse subcultures can live and work together in friendly appreciation of one another's ways, beliefs, and sensitivities.
Scouting itself has been enriched by this recognition that ours is not a nation of single-patterned individuals but that almost all Americans are heirs to a dual system of values and traditions. In the case of the Jewish citizen. this duality combines an American heritage born of the ideals of our nation's founders and the ancestral ways and practices associated with Judaism. Scouting has even taken the position that a strong commitment to one's own religious or ethnic culture makes for enhanced citizenship .
The popularity of the Ner Tamid and Aleph awards for Scouts of Jewish faith amply attests to this.
In recent years. as the number of participants in Tiger Cubs, BSA, has grown. the need has been felt for a comparable challenge on this youngest level. Hence, the creation of the Maccabee Award with its distinct emblem, requirements for the Maccabee Award, and counselor's guide.
The award takes its name from Judah Maccabee and his brothers who led the military and religious struggle against the Syrian king, Antiochus, who had attempted to suppress the practice of Judaism. Their revolt ended victoriously in the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 167 B.C.E. The holiday of Hanukkah (Feast of Lights) celebrates that victory.
