Perhaps the most Jewish work of fantasy was written by Charles Dickens in 1843. It’s called
A Christmas Carol. It’s so Jewish it should be taught in yeshiva. I’ve been saying this to rabbis for years mostly, I confess, to get a rise out of them. But I also think it’s true, even though Dickens wasn’t Jewish, didn’t draw on any Jewish text or tradition, and wrote a story that has nothing to do with Jews or Judaism (nor with Jesus, for that matter).
Here’s why: Dickens’ world-famous tale, still in print and continually presented on stage and screen, is all about what Jews call