Hanukkah: Five Misconceptions

Aren’t jews originally from Asia anyway? (Middle East is in Asia, you know).

Just because I’m hardworking doesn’t mean I’m automatically Jewish >:E

I remember doing this once at a christmas party.He looked at me with a blank face and my friend burst out laughing and informed me he’s jewish.All I remember was the laughing, I guess I was tipsy at the moment or something inorder for me to laugh that hard.

How about getting eight gifts for each day of Chanukah Festival?

Like I said, it got started because Jewish kids got jealous. Because Chanukah is eight days long some people extended it that way. It’s certainly not traditional and it’s nowhere near widespread.

As for a sound file… don’t know if that’s possible. ^^;

You know, actually, its looking more just presents, and not even a meantion of Santa. But I agree on the JC part too. But then it goes to the fact, they dont do Jewish holiday stuff either, or for that matter Kwanza or any other ones.

Exactly what do you do during Kwanza?

Maybe he’s an asian Jew from the middle east!

Well, I don’t think anyone talks about where the Jews are originally from. They all mention that Israel was their promised land… However, given the Jewish enslavement in Egypt, one might say they’re African (there is some black theology going around saying the original Jews were black Africans too).

DT answer my pm. :frowning:

Before they went to Egypt they lived in the land that would become Israel one day.

Anyway, I wish everybody here a happy Hanukkah, a cheerful Christmas and happy Holidays.

For hanukkah, My grandmother always got me present of school supplies as she thought if I got anything like a toy or something non useful in everyday life I would be frivolous. I’m glad my mom celebrates Christmas, hanakkuh was always just… I dunno not really interesting at my house, I like Purim more. ^^

You just like drinking so you can’t distinguish Haman from Mordechai. >.>

…lies.

hides her booze

I don’t drink. I like the hamens ears. :frowning:

984: It’s pretty impressive that you know that. :sunglasses:
I personally take a nap on Purim, at which point I don’t know the difference. :sunglasses: Not my idea, it was mentioned in the Mishnah Berurah, the current undisputed champ of books of Jewish law.

I have about… Three friends who are Jewish. None of them are very (if at all) religious though. One of them gets drunk all the time, so he used Purim as a reason to get drunk the last two years. I asked why, and he quoted that verse. Not the noblest of intentions, but he still did it. Heh.

I went to a Jewish-community funded school last year, and we celebrated all the jewish holidays. Like Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, et al.

It was fun getting out of schoolwork to learn about other religions.

Hanukkah just plain isn’t as awesome as Passover. See sig for details <_<

I think the problem with complaining about the other holidays not getting as much attention is that it is the same for Christianity. Christmas isn’t the biggest one in the actual religion. Hell, if anything it would be Black Friday since that is when Jesus died and fulfilled his purpose. Plus if you are going to attack the attention on Hanukkah even though it isn’t a big holiday you might want to attack the current calender since it is based on Chistrianity (if anything of Christianity lasts, it’ll be the calender). Besides, Christmas has become much more of a secular holiday (with things like Sanata Claus and shit). Also, if you just look at history, youc an sort of see how there are many logical reasons for this time having big holidays and time off from school and work. In some areas it gets pretty fucking cold and they didn’t have all of the conveniences, like cars, to get through the cold. It was a bit safer and made more sense to stay home, having a holiday just makes it easier since places are closed and you are excused from work or school. This time of year is even easier to have Christmas celebrated more since so many religions have something around this time. Since Hanukkah has such a wide range of possible dates (you said November to January), and Christmas is always on the December 25, it just makes more sense to stick with a fixed day since you don’t have to adjust schedules nearly as much to fit and catch it.

I have no intention of attacking the current calendar precisely because it is a Christian calendar. We have our own calendar, thanks very much, and we’ll use it when we want to. We don’t begrudge a Christian country the use of their own calendar. O_o

The problem with turning Christmas into a secular holiday is that nobody knows what to call it anymore. Calling it Christmas is too religious, but calling it “the holidays” is disingenuous (and smacks of political correctness) because there’s only one holiday.

I’m not railing against North Americans celebrating Christmas; not at all. All I’m miffed about is when they try to be “inclusive” and include Hanukkah in all the greetings, while being completely clueless about what Hanukkah is, or even when it is.

I’ve always liked this one song I sang back in chorus a while back called Bashana Haba’ah. I’m wondering if the translation on this site is correct though: Bashana Haba’ah

What holiday is the song for?

I’ve never heard of it before. O_o It’s some Israeli folk tune.
The closest I can think of is “L’shana Haba’ah Biy’rushalayim” (Next Year in Jerusalem), which is said loudly both during the Passover seder and at the end of Yom Kippur.