For Heaven's Sake
For Heaven's Sake
Shalom Hartman Institute
#37: Hanukkah, Interfaith, and the Israeli Psyche
42 minutes Posted Dec 1, 2021 at 10:00 am.
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What happens when an ancient holiday is rebranded for modern audiences?

For Israelis, Hanukkah was reinvented as a celebration of Jewish heroism, of our ability to persevere against overwhelming threats, with the Maccabean warrior as the precursor to the IDF. In contrast, in North America Hanukkah has been rebranded as a universal battle against religious suppression, with the Hanukah lights as beacons for interfaith ecumenism and religious tolerance. What does this dichotomy say about the two largest Jewish communities in the world?