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Okay, technically, not until sunset, but now everybody’s been alerted. Wikipedia says that “The reason for the Hanukkah lights is not for the “lighting of the house within”, but rather for the “illumination of the house without,” so that passersby should see it and be reminded of the holiday’s miracle.“… I like that. The annual miracle, no less astonishing as science than as religion: The days will get longer, again.
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And along with the lights: latkes, sour cream, jelly donuts (sufganiyah, or ponchkes), and chocolate candy. What’s not to like?
Reader Interactions
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Joey Maloney
Well, it is the commemoration of a military victory where a bunch of religious fundamentalists massacred their more pluralistic countrymen, overthrew a tolerant government and installed a strict theocracy. So there’s that.
JPL
@Joey Maloney: Well Bah Humbug!
harlana
hey, that “fat fuck” Chris Christie is gonna be on Morning Ho in a minnit!
:D
harlana
and Barney Frank officially no longer gives a shit, which has already become entertaining to say the least
JPL
@harlana: Can we expect updates?
edit..I don’t have cable
4tehlulz
>more pluralistic countrymen
lol
JPL
Politifact is on Early Morning on CBS defending their decision that the biggest lie of the year is that the repubs want to end Medicare. I changed the channel because it’s to early to throw things.
Mustang Bobby
Watching Chris Christie and Joey Scarborough have their little love fest was gross. Get a room, toads.
Phylllis
Actual news from the AP.
Schlemizel
On the topic of more pluralistic countrymen did you know that “Rosa Parks” appeared recently in Israel? She refused to move to the back of the bus “where she belonged” so the ultra-orthodox man demanding her removal stood in front of the bus so it could not proceed.
haaretz.com/jewish-world/will-tanya-rosenblit-s-stand-lead-to-the-desegregation-of-ultra-orthodox-je…
Sadly, every religion has their own little Taliban don’t they?
Joey Maloney
This is news? The only thing that has united Jerusalem’s Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the past few hundred years is that a Gay Pride parade cannot be allowed in the city.
Xboxershorts
Oy to the world!
Punchy
I will enjoy a glass of Orange Jews on the first morning of Hannakah.
daveNYC
Remember folks, the key ingredient in latkes isn’t the potato, it’s the onion.
peach flavored shampoo
@Punchy: My husband, Hebrew the coffee for me.
schrodinger's cat
Does anybody actually buy the food in the kosher section of the grocery store? It looks so forlorn and unloved.
Phylllis
@schrodinger’s cat: We buy the Nathan’s hotdogs regularly. And kosher salt.
schrodinger's cat
@Phylllis: I do too, buy kosher salt, I mean.
handsmile
The Guardian has posted today the list of YouTube’s “Ten Most Watched” clips. The winner, “Ultimate Dog Tease,” may well be familiar to some here, particularly on this canine-o-phile site.
For those who have not seen it, however, and I was one, well…tears of laughter are still streaming down my face. Consider it a Hanukkah gift (though not an Orthodox one).
guardian.co.uk/media/2011/dec/20/youtube-talking-dog-top-videos
Zagloba
Pravda on the Potomac:
Shorter: democracy subverts democracy.
Yutsano
חג חנוכה שמח
(edit: FYWP.)
Paul in KY
Hope our Jewish BJers have a great Hannukah!
Origuy
Some people buy the Pesach Coca-cola because it has cane sugar instead of HFCS. In a lot of places, though, you can get Mexican coke year-round now.
I suppose the reference to kosher salt is a joke; it’s called that because it’s used to remove the blood when making kosher meat.
Karen
Happy Chanukah to the Jewish Balloon Juicers!
When I was growing up we didn’t have a Chanukah bush but I know other Jewish friends of mine did.
And I don’t know about other people, but the “eight days” of presents were more like one day of really cool presents and seven days of practical things (socks, underwear, pajamas, pencils, etc.).
Karen
@Joey Maloney:
I don’t know where you get your information but the Greek army (I have no idea what they were called then) destroyed all the Jewish temples but one and there was only enough oil to burn the candles for one night and the miracle was that it burned for eight nights. The Greeks were forcing the Jewish people to worship their way. Or are you saying that it’s religious fundamentalism to not want your religion destroyed?
Cris (without an H)
That’s my wife’s front line of resistance against Hanukkah as well. But the party line is “the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.” You can ask Marty Peretz about that last part though.
Betsy
As it will be my first Christmas* at home with my husband, we bought a tiny little tree. Whilst out shopping for ornaments for it, I came across a stylized tree display. One of the ornaments was in the shape of a star of David and said “Happy Hanukah,” misspelling and all. Made me laugh so hard. I would have bought it, had it not been $16 and thus in no way worth it. When I told the proprietress how awesome I thought it was that there was a “happy Hanukkah” Christmas ornament, she got kind of huffy and said, “we think of them as HOLIDAY ornaments.” Sure, lady, which is why they’re hanging on your Christmas tree display.
*I have a Jewish mother, Catholic father, consider myself a secular Jew, and love Christmas. I’m the American Jew the Israelis warned you about.
Ohio Mom
@Joey Maloney: Many Decembers ago, I attended a public lecture at the Reform rabbinical school here in Cincinnati. The faculty member giving the presentation outlined the pretty much the same version of the Hanukkah story as yours.
At the end he sighed and only partly tongue-in-cheek confessed he’d long wondered if Reform Jews should really celebrate this holiday, as it ultimately goes against liberal Jewish values. I’ve never looked at the holiday the same way since.
J smith
Great Hanukkah video!!!
Happy Hanukkah to all the Jews around the world!!!