A thread on Hanukkah and the Christmas season.

1) When we're talking about the importance of Hanukkah in America we're talking about a specific subset of Jews.

Jews who are observant and grew up in a Jewish day school environment generally hold no special attachment to this minor holiday.

It was for Jews like me!

It was for those of us who went to public school. Where we were required to do things for the "holiday season" that were Christmas in everything but name. Where our favorite shows all reliably had Christmas episodes. Where the music on your radio is Christmas beginning on Nov 1.

The emphasis on Hanukkah was not because a bunch of acculturated secular Jews were enthralled with the story of violent theocrats killing Hellenized Jews.

It was because it was around Christmas and so were we.

Your friends are all doing Christmas. If you lived in a town with active church go-ers a part of your town's social life was youth groups.

Take a guess what socializing Jewish kids are subjected to! Guess what is treated as normal and what is treated like a funny alternative?

There is a deep insecurity you develop in this kind of setting. Anyone who grew up in it knows exactly what I'm talking about.

So the natural response to this kind of environment is to overemphasize. Hanukkah is a big holiday! You don't need Christmas!

It's a losing game.

2) I can't speak for anyone else, but the reason I deemphasize Hanukkah in adulthood is because I rejected the entire framework of any Jewish practice being an answer to another religion.

The only way to win is to not compete. Our traditions are not a cute substitute for theirs.

3) There's really no good way to talk about this in public settings because

A) Most Jews who grew up in this milieu don't end up organizing their lives around the Jewish calendar or opting to live in places with a high density of Jews

B) The folks downplaying Hanukkah do

The folks who are in category B, which now includes me, should be humble and recognize the social challenges their brethren navigate. Especially when we downplay the things that are their way of asserting their Jewish identity in a culture that is drowning in Christmas marketing.

Post Script: I received some (correct) pushback from @ElishevaAvital on the importance of Hanukkah for observant Jews. Clarification:
Hanukkah is enjoyed by all kinds of Jews. In religious settings it's generally not treated as something whose purpose is to compete with Christmas