Hanukkah bush

Alice, the bush, as I promised, and aren't I terrific not to take the day off.

Once upon a time (my favorite story opener), when everyone wanted to melt into the pot, when Hollywood stars had no ethnicity and being a wasp was the ultimate goal, when Christmas meant color and lights and not so much commercial frenzy, Jewish children wanted the same kind of celebration, lights and color and trees with beautiful ornaments and presents.

Many Jews wanted to forget the war, forget the holocaust, melt into the blond, blue eyed, Christian melting pot so they said, “The Christmas tree is not a religious symbol. We can have a Christmas tree and we will call it a Hanukkah bush.”

Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday celebrating the victory of an army of religious Jews against their Greek rulers, 2200 years ago, who wanted them to adopt Greek culture.

After three years of fighting, in the year 3597, or about 165 B.C.E., the Maccabees victoriously reclaimed the temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah. Next they prepared the temple for rededication -- in Hebrew, Hanukkah means "dedication." In the temple they found only enough purified oil to kindle the temple light for a single day. But miraculously, the light continued to burn for eight days. 

Because of its gift giving tradition and proximity to Christmas, Hanukkah has become an important Jewish holiday in the US. As awareness of the Holocaust grew, and people like Steven Spielberg and Mel Brooks took pride in their Jewishness and didn’t become WASPS, I think we have become more conscious of our Jewish culture and less likely to have Hanukkah bushes with their mixed messages.You can find more information about the Hanukkah bush at Wikipedia. 

Comments

[Alice]

I liked the way you explained how the term came to be. To be honest I'd never associated it with the holiday, because I know the Hanukha takes place earlier. My Jewish friends when I was working at UofFl were the ones who introduced the name to me. They were a young couple who put up a tree every Christmas. And I have thought it odd that some of my favorite seasonal music has been performed mostly by Jews. But of course your explanation makes a lot of sense. As for the Indians I know who have children, the tree and gifts has become like it is for us -- a family tradition having little to with Christ. Sad maybe but true.

[Alice]

Oh I forgot to say Congratulations on the 30 days--31 days--of posting. You earned your 2 gold stars!

[Mage Bailey]

Fascinating stuff, thanks Ruthie. Yes, I too consider the tree a sculptural item not a religious symbol. I have a lot of fun playing with it every year despite my very WASP upbringing. I had never known those facts about the "Hanukka Bush," and think it very sad.

Thank you so much for the charming gold star. I've got it posted, and it lights my way into a new year. The format may be the same.....I like it, but I will try to change the content a bit. We will see.

[The Subversive Librarian]

Wow. Who knew there was a Wikipedia entry on the Hanukkah bush? This is a really interesting post, Ruthe, and the Wikipedia entry is interesting as well. Thanks!