When I first saw a story on the Cut arguing that Christmas should not be made sexy, my first thought was that Dan Savage has been arguing this for years. My second was, of course, whether Hanukkah is sexy. Or, indeed, whether anyone’s trying to make that case. And the answer, to the second question,…
A Jewish family from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has suffered a torrent of harassment after false reports from Breitbart and Fox News claiming they deviously arranged the downfall of their child’s elementary school Christmas play. As responsible reporting has shown, they simply asked that their child be excused from participation in the play, and it was…
As you settle in for the long Chrismukkah weekend, it’s a great time to catch up on reading, binge watch your favorite TV shows (or a great new one) and, for the daring, venture outside for some magical holiday fun. Our best picks, below. 1) Celebrate Chrismukkah! This year, Hanukkah starts on Christmas Eve for…
A memory of pure magic: I am eight years old, dressed in a special red fleece cap and cape, dashing to a stage door at the Denver Center for Performing Arts with snow falling around me. Backstage is magical, a cavernous room dotted with enchanting, candy-colored set pieces and filled with tutu-clad ballerinas. I was…
“Hannah Maccabee is mad! Her cousins have gone off to face the Greeks and defend the Jewish people. Her father, Jacob, struck out days ago to find more oil… meanwhile she’s sitting at the Great Temple not allowed to help. Luckily Hannah is smart, strong, and has a heart filled with love. Nothing can stand…
I never talk about this, but when I was a kid growing up in New Orleans, I was afraid of the colors red and green. It didn’t matter the season; if I saw the two together, I rushed to avert my gaze. Returning Magic Markers to their box, I took care not to let the…
Santa has disappeared from your chocolate Maccabee. This Hanukkah, when you peel the gilded foil from a Maccabee treat, you will no longer reveal a secret Santa. Last Hanukkah Jennie Rivlin Roberts, then the owner of the on-line Judaica shop, Modern Tribe, decided to sample some of her inventory of chocolate Maccabees with some of…
I’ll tell you a secret, I’m pleased about Christmas. That the whole world is willing to celebrate the late September birth of a nice Jewish boy on December 25, I’m kvelling. I mean, it’s not really a Christian holiday (hence the dislocated date), it’s just a thin veneer of paint on the Roman holiday —…
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