Why is so much emphasis placed on the Jewish holiday Hanukkah when it is not even a Jewish High Holiday??

Question

Why is so much emphasis placed on the Jewish holiday Hanukkah when it is not even a Jewish High Holiday?? Thanks!

Answer 1

Before about 50 years ago, very little emphasis was placed on Hanukkah in the Jewish community. My grandparents celebrated many Jewish holidays, but had very little time for Hanukkah. It became a big deal for 2 reasons.
First, so little Jewish kids would have something comparable to Christmas, parents started giving kids gifts on Hanukkah (instead of gelt - coins).
Secondly, after the end of WWII and the holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, there was a new enthusiasm for Zionism among American Jews. The Hanukkah story is about Hebrew Maccabees defeating Roman oppressors to defend a Jewish state, and that story resonated with the Jewish community more than ever before.

Answer 2

There is so much emphasis placed on Hanukkah because the story of Hanukkah is a very incredible story that we don't want to let our children forget. On Hanukkah, we tell our children the story, so that the story won't die out among the Jewish people.

Answer 3

Jews don't place more emphasis on Hanukkah than any other holiday. It's non-Jews who place the emphasis on the holiday because it is completely non-threatening to them. They can sort of relate to it because of the gifts.

Jews, however, put as much emphasis on Hanukkah as they do on every other holiday during the year.

Answer 4

The meaning of Hanukkah is a festival of lights. Why lights? It is celebrated to remind us that it only takes a small amount of light to wipe out a large amount of darkness....the flame of a single candle can remove the darkness in an entire room. Just as there is darkness in our world (pain, illness, suffering, war), we should always remember it only takes a small amount of light (charity, kindess, good deeds) to offset large amounts of darkness. It is the light of Judaism that shines on us all because it gave the world the 10 commandments, Jesus, Christianity, and a moral/ethical code to live by which brings light to a dark world filled with evil & selfishness. The lesson of light overcomming darkness is soo important that the jewish people have created an annual reminder of it by a holiday called Hanukkah.

Answer 5

Wo!First of all I am Jewish and it is a very,very HIGH holiday.It is alot of the Jews past and will lead to teaching the young Jews about their history.That is why so much emphasis is placed upon this holiday.

Answer 6

Because the time closely coincides with Christmas so it makes them feel a part of society as a whole. Some Jews, however refuse to place such importance on this holiday just for the sake of closely resembling "Christians".

Answer 7

We have emphasis on all of or holidays, major or minor. It's just that it falls out during the gentile holiday season, and we give gifts, too . So it ends up blown up like Christmas.

It's a holiday of miracles.

Answer 8

Only because it happens around the Christmas season. It's the only one of which non-Jewish people are aware.

Answer 9

okay im jewish. it is a high holiday. first off do u even know what happened? we, the jews, fougt and won a war aginast around 20,000 men. second, you dont seejews hanging up menorahs or big pictures all over where ever, its the non-jews. and you know what i dont even know why.

Answer 10

Because it's the most fun, and it gives us a satisfactory conclusion to the build up of Christmas.