After the Hanukkah Miracle 3 Disasters that Destroyed the Maccabees and How Israel Can Avoid Them One could say that the Maccabees won the battle but lost the war. How is it that the heroes of the Hanukkah story went from the heights of spiritual power to the depths of corruption in less than 100 years? Here is an analysis of the three disasters that brought down the Hasmonean kingdom, and a look at how the modern State of Israel can avoid the same fate.