My parents were raised in Israel. They got married young and at an age when most of us are deciding what to do after graduating, they moved to Canada, little ck in tow. Amongst yordim, there’s a saying that implies that you have finally found what it is to be in the galut (the exile, outside of Israel) – the term in Hebrew is “Matsatem et America!” or “You have finally found America.”
When I read of this line of combo Christmas / Chanukah cards I thought to myself, “Ahhh! Matsatem et America!” It seems that American marketers, not content to completely eviscerate any religious meaning from Christmas, have now turned their attention to Jews and the growing segment of mixed Judeo/Christian families. This story is supposed to be one of those warm, fuzzy feel good things that pops up around this time of the year. It is supposed to be about how people deal with tolerance and mutual respect for others. To me however it is a pathetic piece of tripe that totally turns the story and the lessons of Chanukah upside down. But what the hey, us Jews may now feel free to celebrate Chanukah in a way that is completely divorced from the spiritual underpinnings of the holiday, just like our Christian neighbours! Merry Chrismukkah indeed, fellow Hellenists.
Mamash matzanu et America …
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