If you want to know how important Hanukkah is to American Jews, look at what happens when Hanukkah is criticized.
On Wednesday morning, as the Jews of America prepared for the beginning of the holiday that evening, the New York Times published on its op-ed page a rant against Hanukkah written by Howard Jacobson. Jacobson, the English author, attacked Hanukkah as shallow, imitative, inauthentic, primitive and lacking a compelling religious message. As the article was read and shared throughout the blogosphere, Jews reacted with puzzlement, dismay and not a little anger.
Why the Times would publish such an article on the threshold of the celebration is an interesting question for another time. The reason for the Jewish reaction, however, was clear: Hanukkah is a beloved festival and the most widely observed of the seasonal Jewish holidays other than Passover.
True, Hanukkah is a minor festival that is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Yet it is precisely the "minor" character of the holiday that makes it so compelling. It involves neither onerous restrictions nor onerous preparations, and thus is embraced with enthusiasm by Jews of all religious and cultural persuasions. Lacking the complexity of the major festivals, it nonetheless offers a serious message and multiple possibilities for creative observance.
The Hanukkah narrative, like all holiday narratives, is part myth and part history. Its central theme is the dedication of the Jews to God and their commitment to rebuilding and consecrating God's Temple. The Hanukkah miracle suggests a clear and comforting message: In times of distress, God comes to our aid. At the same time, those who prefer this-worldly values can emphasize other themes of the holiday, such as the importance of battling assimilation, affirming religious freedom and resisting oppressors.
Hanukkah's broad popularity is also due to the fact that -- like Passover -- it is a home-based holiday with a strong familial character. Again like Passover, Hanukkah has distinctive foods, strong traditions of family gatherings around the table, and rituals and customs with special appeal to children. Passover is profound and foundational in a way that Hanukkah is not, but it is also intimidating in a way that Hanukkah is not. The result: the coming of Passover requires so much effort that it is sometimes greeted with dread, while Hanukkah is manageable and fun and is greeted with joy. Thus, it is not surprising that the "minor" festival of Hanukkah stands alongside Passover as a creator of vivid Jewish memories.
But when it comes to Hanukkah, this above all: When we Jews gather with friends and family around the Hanukkah menorah each night for eight nights, lighting Hanukkah candles and singing Hanukkah songs, there is something supremely powerful and healing in that experience. Even in dark days and dark times, we are reassured and empowered by rites that have been practiced by our people for so long and that have, in turn, sustained us. The Hanukkah lights, in pushing back the darkness, open Jewish hearts to our families and friends and all who are near to us, drawing us closer to them and to the entire human family.
Hanukkah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jewcy.com | Howard Jacobson And The Last Of The Great Hanukkah ...
Hanukkah, Rekindled - NYTimes.com
The Unbearable Dumbness of Dreidel - by Marc Tracy > Tablet ...
It is a festive holiday with family candle lighting, gift-giving, special fun-foods. It is not a holiday that is fraught with prohibitions and mindless observance.
For the Jewish people it is a National Holiday, not a religious holiday.
I'm so sick of people trying to hold Jews and Judaism responsible for Israel's misdeeds - especially considering how many Jews outright condemn them!
But mostly myth, like the rest of it.
Hindus want to remain distinct and free of stereotypes ,perhaps a Hindu defence league,
and Dr Chopra doesnt want to be assimilated into AMA ; no doubt when he is rested enough, he will promote his teachings as interfaith and interdisciplinary
india woud love it to be more better known thta Jewish people lived in India since 2500 years with no prejudice
now due to pressure to return to the holy land the remaining jews in india are facing assimilation by virtue of not enough critical mass to sustain a community
in addition to president Obama making a Dipavali, day of mahalakshmi, message and celebrating a jewish festival meal , it would be nice to invite american indians to the pardoning of the turkey at thanksgiving
how to know God's help is at hand
in our day every rememberance of one's own tradition looks inward to the source to keep it pure, alive and looks outward to universal longings .
i'd like to see the jewish resistance to assimilation support american indians resistance to assimilation.
i'd like to hear expressions of solidarity from Rabbis for Sikhs, the maya the Kharenn the Kurds the Tibetans the amazonians.....
i'd like to know as an illiterate what the esteemed concensus among Rabbis is about the jewish person called in english ,jesus christ
dedicate Channukah to all cultural integrity and integrities and sacred space
thank you
Ha Shem is not racist. He made all people. Just because He requires perfection of the nation He created for the sake of His name, does not mean that He wants less of other people. He has always had provisions for foreigners. He also has a provision to be a light to the nations.
It is all there in the Old Testament. Kind David has two prominent Gentiles in his lineage because of such provisions.
There isn't any. There's very little consensus about a lot of things in Judaism, especially among the rabbis.
As for the rest of the worthy causes you mentioned, there are Jews involved and participating in them.
How do you know that?