Channukah Thoughts

[rosends]

Yes, inspired by a current thread about trees. I plagiarized myself but I'm ok with that.

Dan Rosen's other Blog: My Channukah

 

[Harel13]

Every year for the last number of years, there's a hubbub in Israel over Christmas trees Novy God trees in public spaces such as shopping malls. Like you said, secular or not, it's founded upon Christmas, much like one could argue that the whole USSR secularism is founded upon Christian Europe. L'havdil, Tommy Lapid (father of Yair Lapid) is said to have once stated: "I will never walk into a synagogue. But the synagogue I will never walk into is an Orthodox one." I am not writing this as a dig at other Jews, I am saying that Lapid's secularism was founded upon Orthodox Judaism.

 

[rosends]

Every year for the last number of years, there's a hubbub in Israel over Christmas trees Novy God trees in public spaces such as shopping malls. Like you said, secular or not, it's founded upon Christmas, much like one could argue that the whole USSR secularism is founded upon Christian Europe. L'havdil, Tommy Lapid (father of Yair Lapid) is said to have once stated: "I will never walk into a synagogue. But the synagogue I will never walk into is an Orthodox one." I am not writing this as a dig at other Jews, I am saying that Lapid's secularism was founded upon Orthodox Judaism.

I'll pass on Silvester also.

 

[Harel13]

I'll pass on Silvester also.

Unfortunately, same story here in Israel.

I am often reminded this time of year of when the Christian and secular new year came when I was in the army. It was supposed to be on Sunday night. On my part, I was completely oblivious to it. On Sunday I took a bus up north to the Chatzor Haglilit central bus station, where soldiers from my base gathered and waited for a bus organized by the base to go straight to the base. I rarely made it on time and usually had to wait for another bus to Katzrin in the Golan and from there another bus to base. But this time I made it on time. I was, however, surprised that there were only like three other guys there, of them one was a religious officer and another was a Bedouin soldier. I asked one of the guys where everyone was and he said: "Tonight's the new year. Everyone took a vacation day to party..."
And yes, because we weren't enough people, the base did not send a bus. Once again I took two more busses to the base.......

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Dan Rosen's other Blog: My Channukah

Well said!

Prior to retiring, I worked at a place that played radio music throughout the plant. Each December they switched to a station that played Christmas music 24/7, and top management was proud to note that the switch was endorsed by popular vote. (Jews made up roughly 3% of the workforce).

I hated December ...

 

[Harel13]

On Shabbat I chanced upon a copy of the latest issue of Motzash (מוצ"ש), an Israeli Modern Orthodox weekly magazine. In it were two articles about the growing phenomenon of Chanukristmas in Israel, where Israelis treat Christmas traditions as secular and merge them with Chanukah.
Anyway, both articles, written by popular MO rabbis, made the same point you did: This claim of secularization is nonsense. But on the other hand, there's a need to fill Chanukah with empowering content of Judaism, Torah, faith, etc.