Religious Intermarriage

Jonathan Tobin has an interesting article about the attempt to assimilate Chanukah into the American tradition.

I think there is a point there, in that Chanukah is ultimately the celebration of non-assimilation of Jews into Gentile cultures. (I am less concenred with assimilating Jews than I am with assimilating other minority groups, because, frankly, unassimilated Jewish culture - at least the Ashkenazi kind - integrates much better into the US culture than most third-world cultures do. Also, to be Frank, assimilating holidays is not the kind aof assimilation that is important in terms of interation into American culture).

Turning Chanukah into the "Jewish Christmas" does tend to detract from the message of the holiday.

Of course, as long as Jews intermarry with non-Jews, such hybrids as "Chrismukkah" will continue to exist.

Not that people shouldn't have the right to marry whomever they wish, but I think that the concern of many American Jews that they will be wiped out through intermarriage is a valid one.

That is all.