Multicultural Jewish families and Jews of color are innovating food-centered holidays to bring their whole selves to the table.
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Articles on Hanukkah
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Figuring out whether to celebrate holidays, and how, is tricky for lots of interfaith families – but thoughtful communication makes a difference.
Every president since Jimmy Carter has recognized Hanukkah with a special menorah lighting ceremony.
The Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which in 2022 begins on the evening of Dec. 18, focuses on the story of the male Maccabees. But women are also heroes in histories from that era, including Judith and Hannah.
For much of American history, the only December holiday to be recognized in the White House was Christmas, but menorah lightings are now an annual tradition.
Giving small gifts to children has become common around the world, though nowhere has Hanukkah reached the level of commercialisation that it has in the US.
Despite the primacy of Christmas in American culture, the visibility of Hanukkah in pop culture reminds Jews that they have their own holiday in which they can take pride.
Hanukkah is ranked one of Judaism’s minor festivals, but its popularity in the US has a lot to do with America’s Jews trying to fight assimilation into a culture that welcomed them.
For the African-American community, Kwanzaa is not just any “Black holiday. ” It is a recognition that knowledge of Black history is worthwhile.
Hanukkah was instituted in 164 B.C. to celebrate military victory, but the meaning has changed over time with the circumstances of the Jewish people.
For those wondering whether it is sinful to drink, even moderately, a scholar goes into the history of alcohol and its distillation to show how early monks and priests contributed to it.
Top contributors
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Kraft-Hiatt Professor in Judaic Studies, College of the Holy Cross
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University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University
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Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies & Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
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Part-Time Associate Professor of Religion, Dickinson College
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Associate Professor of Patristics, Baylor University
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Associate Dean of Students, Vanderbilt University
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Professor of Religion, Rowan University
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Associate Professor, Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Monash University
