> surely, it's not a recently adopted celebration artificially pushed to undermine christmas? i thought that couldn't be the case, but i looked it up and apparently hanukkah used to be a minor festival with little, if any celebration up until the middle ages in europe, when jews got jealous of christians celebrating christmas. you were right!   ah-traditions-origins > "hanukkah became more prominent in medieval europe, when jews were intermingling with christians in close quarters, says rabbi joseph skloot, assistant professor of modern jewish intellectual history at hebrew union collegejewish institute of religion in new york. seeing christians celebrate christmas with such pageantry, and symbols that are so evocative, jews sought to exalt their symbols during that same time. > over the next several centuries, jews brought hanukkah traditions with them as they migrated and resettled across the globe, including to what is now the united states. hanukkah in america is a joyful, light-filled festival celebrated by many jewish families during the darkest days of december, says rabbi douglas sagal of congregation b'nai israel in rumson, new jersey.
United States