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Articles on Hanukkah
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Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is one of the world’s most widely celebrated Jewish festivals. The Bondi attacks’ timing on its first day is significant – and heartbreaking.
Twenty-nine people were injured and taken to hospital in the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
Zionists draw on the military imagery of Hanukkah, while others look to the synagogue prayers that focus on the miracle of divine light.
The Hanukkah story centers on rekindling the eternal light in the Temple, a symbol of God’s presence. Similarly, the Ner Tamid above the ark in synagogues is never supposed to go out.
Grzegorz Braun’s act was a reminder of how antisemitism has been normalised by the outgoing administration.
Spices have been prized commodities for centuries. Today, ‘warm’ flavors boost our health and spirits in fall and winter.
Assimilation no doubt played a role in making Hanukkah the commercialized holiday it is today. But other factors shaped the modern festival, too, a scholar of Jewish studies and gender explains.
Multicultural Jewish families and Jews of color are innovating food-centered holidays to bring their whole selves to the table.
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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Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies & Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
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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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Emanuel Ringelblum Professor in Jewish History, University of California, Davis
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Research Associate, Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer, Bible Studies, Monash University
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Loti Smorgon Associate Professor in Contemporary Jewish Life and Culture, Monash University
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Associate Professor of Patristics, Baylor University
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Assistant Professor of Social Science & Policy Studies, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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PhD candidate in European Politics, King's College London
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Professor of Religion, Rowan University
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Ph.D. Candidate in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University
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Associate Professor, Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Monash University
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Part-Time Associate Professor of Religion, Dickinson College
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Associate Dean of Students, Vanderbilt University