Is Hanukkah a fake holiday made by jealous Jews ?

Question

That's what jew told me.

Answer 1

Hanukkah predates Jesus by 165 years. Perhaps Christmas was made up by jealous Christians.

Answer 2

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, a Hebrew word meaning “to dedicate,” is a minor were the le Jewish festival with no Biblical source. It is from when Jewish rebel leaders called the 'Maccabees' - led a Jewish rebel army that took control of Judea, which at the time had been a province of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE. They reasserted the Jewish religion, partly by forced conversion, expanded the boundaries of Judea by conquest and reduced the influence of Hellenism and Hellenistic Judaism. Essentially - Zionists. The Zionists of today are the reason the menorah's are to be found everywhere around the USA. They have pushed very hard to get them installed - right on OUR US White House lawn! For a.. 'minor' Jewish holiday. In a nation where barely 2% are Jewish. It IS much more a 'made up holiday' than anything. A military - nationalist - expansionist.. 'holiday'.

Answer 3

That's complete bull. First of all, Hannukah CAME WAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Jews have been celebrating hannukah for a very long time. Furthermore, people today do not understand what hannukah is about. You aren't really supposed to give presents every day... There is a custom to give children money from which the idea of presents came.
Furthermore, Christmas is just a commercial holiday that has no real basis in the christian religion. For exmaple, the tree is a pagan symbol.

Ok, so people know that the miracle that we celebrate on hannukah was that the oil that should have lasted one day, lasted 8 days. BUT that is not the true reason. That's more like the simplified version for kids' storybooks. The story of Hanukah started when Alexander the "Great" invaded Israel. After he died the Syrian Greeks remained there, started imposing more and more on the Jewish people, and pressuring them to abandon their ways and live Greek lives. Many Jews went a long with this, unfortunately. However, a group of only 6 people decided not to take it anymore and to organize a group called the Maccabees who would defeat the Greeks and restore Judaism to Israel. So they gathered a small army of a couple thousand, but this was nowhere near the tens of thousands of Greek soldiers around. The real miracle lies in the fact that the Maccabees won, and Judaism triumphed.

You can see that the true significance of Judaism is about retaining our own traditions in the face of adversity. That is why people are supposed to light their hannukah lamps in plain sight, in front of the window. Furthermore, Hannukah is at a time where other groups are celebrating their holidays, and in the past Christmas was often a day of great Anti-semitism and pogroms against the Jewish people. So ever more the important that we maintain our conviction in the face of adversity and show the world and ourselves that we are Jewish and proud of it.

Answer 4

No Hanukkah is not a fake religion. The Jews are children of God and choose to follow His path. Yes Hanukkah did come before Christmas. This reason is because Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I am not familiar with the Jewish religion but Hanukkah has something to do with the cleansing of sac rid temple. This happened long before the birth of Jesus.The Christians believe that later in time God made Jesus the son of man to save them from sin. They also believe that in order to get to God you go through Jesus. Jews and Christians are not jealous of each other. If you truly have the Lord in hear heart then there will be no jealousy in the first place!

Answer 5

i think u misunderstood this jew. first of all Hanukkah was around even before Jesus was born. the part about getting presents didn't come along until the free market turned Hanukkah into shopping spree holiday. in a manner of speaking, Jews were a little jealous of all the Christans getting presents so a group of Jews started giving presents on the holiday. Then the free market took it to town and now almost all Jews give presents. However, countrary to popular belief, Hanukkah is not an important holiday at all (from the religious perspective).

Answer 6

Well that Jew lied just like anyone who tells u the Holocaust didn't exist

The story of Hanukkah basically goes like this the Judah Maccabees go out of Egypt and eventually reach this old temple the temple only had enough oil to light the candles for one night but because of a miracle they stayed on for 8 night (hence the 8 nights of Hanukkah) / every night of Hanukkah you say a prayer to light the candles

Answer 7

No. Hanukkah was not made up. There has been a Hanukkah since long before there was a Christmas. Christmas is a random date picked by Christians, however, to coincide with a Jewish holiday that was already there. Biblical indications tend to point to Jesus having actually been born in what would have been September. Apparently your Jew who told you Hanukkah was made up is not very educated in his Judaism.

Answer 8

No, Chanukka is not a fake holiday. It is what's known as a Minor Holiday (major holidays are those established in what is commonly known as the "Old Testament") along the lines of Purim and Tu B'shevat.

Major holidays include Passover, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur.

You can read more about Chanukkah at:
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm

You can also read more about other holidays at the same site

Answer 9

Just because Judaism predates Christianity doesnt mean that any one holiday is older than the other. Some Christian holidays were not created until Vatican II, but are based on events that happened hundreds of years ago. It wasn't created to compete with the Christian Christmas, althought it probably was brought to greater importance than ever previously held in order to compete with the capitalistic version of Christmas. Think logically, they wouldn't want to be the only people not celebrating in the winter season, that would make them stand out, much like the women labeled in 'The Scarlet Letter.' So they made it a more important and a more widely observed holiday.

I dont remember his name but there is a comedian who does a routine along that line, and his line is how its sorta like celebrating your car going 30 miles on empty and claiming it is a miracle.

And no I dont have any problem saying this, nor am I worried about offending any jewish people. Just the other day my one friend who is Jewish was lecturing me about why it is wrong to be Catholic like I am, so I have no problem pointing out issues with Jewish beliefs.

Answer 10

No, not at all. Unfortunately, that Jew is quite ignorant of his own rich heritage. As a matter of fact the story, miracle, and celebration of Hannukah (it was established as a holiday the year after the miracle) was circa 160 BCE-way before Jesus was born. The celebration of Hannukah on the 25th day of Kislev commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from the Greek armies and the love that G-d showed them with the lights of the Menorah.

Answer 11

Absolutely not! Whoever told you that must not be much of a Jew IMHO. Hanukkah celebrates the triumph of a small band of Jews over a much larger foe/opressor. It essentually celebrated a triumph over persicution. (The cute 'oil' story notwithtanding).

By the way, Hanukkah has been observed WAY longer than Christmas.