The War on Hanukkah

A column at National Review discusses an issue that I had noticed. Not only was Christmas under assault this year, so was Hanukkah. To see some of the details read Michael M. Rosen's And Now, the War on Hanukkah.

Rosen sees the attack as a broader war on American Religious tradition, which is mostly Christian but one of toleration of other religions:

These, indeed, are the hallmarks of the American tradition of religious tolerance — an openness rooted in religiosity. The formal separation of church and state plays an important, but supporting, role by enabling our rich civil society to simultaneously express its religiosity and welcome people of all faiths — and no faith at all.

This tolerance springs from a distinctly Christian kindness, a spiritual understanding born, as Rabbi Tiechtel observes, of dissenting pilgrims seeking a place to worship freely.

This approach has characterized the overwhelmingly warm reception that American Jews have consistently enjoyed. No slice of the Diaspora has ever treated its Jews as kindly, fairly, and openly as the United States, a tradition that has stretched from George W. to George W. America's Jewish community bears witness to this modern-day miracle on a daily basis and formally expresses its gratitude in prayer every week. In this day and age, with evangelical Christians so energetically supporting the State of Israel, American Jews have an even more compelling reason to be thankful.