Op-Ed: Celebrating Hanukkah in Israel and America
As Jews celebrate Hanukkah around the globe, like every year, I am reminded of the fact that the way that Israelis celebrate Hanukkah is very different from how I grew up celebrating Hanukkah in America. I grew up in a very secular and assimilated American Jewish family but Hanukkah was a big deal. Every year, my Great Uncle Harold would come to visit and prepare homemade potato latkes with applesauce. My mother would make Hanukkah cookies. I did not grow up on sufgonyot, svinge or any other dish. We always used to light the menorah and sing during each night of Hanukkah.