In the late 19th and early 20th century, assimilating Jewish newcomers to the United States turned Hanukkah into the vacuous, anesthetized, consumerist, areligious holiday we know today. By creating a celebration that was not only in seasonal proximity to Christmas but one that tried to ape its festive tone, American Jews had their own winter festival.
I’m not a religious man, but I do value tradition. And every few years I feel compelled to point out that Hanukkah is the most misunderstood holiday in American life. It’s true that Hanukkah isn’t a Jewish “yom tov,” a “good day,” handed down to chosen people
