By Ira Sharkansky
JERUSALEM — You’ve heard about Black Friday?
Us, too.
More than any other gimmick, we’ve heard about Black Friday, throughout the month, with sales advertised on TV, radio, and in the newspapers.
But so far, no sales for Chanukah.
You’ve heard about that holiday?
So have we, but not this year, in connection with sales.
Black Friday suggests that we’re celebrating Thanksgiving, and the start of the Christmas buying season.
Those are the sources of Black Friday. But here we’re not hearing about Thanksgiving, and certainly not Christmas. Just Black Friday. And Black Friday month.
According to Wikipedia, that idea has caught on elsewhere. The day and the purpose vary somewhat, but the idea is about 10 years old, and in many cases signals the beginning of the Christmas rush on the stores.
American dominance? Of much in the world. Yes. But where’s Chanukah? And why no sales linked to our own holiday?
Who knows, for sure?
The American community here may mark Thanksgiving. But most ovens aren’t big enough to include the appropriate bird. And who knows how many link the event to the Pilgrims, Plymouth, and their feast with Native Americans?
Christmas? No mention of that here in connection with Black Friday. Elsewhere? The Christ child? Who was that? What’s the connection with shopping, the holiday, and gifts? Has all the spiritual stuff diminished, as opposed to the pushing of merchandise?
Times change. Lots of Americans, Europeans, and Israelis have little connection with their religious roots. So here, Black Friday is used to mark the entire month of November, and perhaps more, as a time for sales and other gimmicks to get us into the shops.
We’ll hear about Chanukah. There are enough Rabbis and the observant, as well as traditional Jews to provide a setting for bringing on the kids. They’ve learned the songs in school, and they’ll perform in many of the homes. But where’s the stories that are at the heart of the holiday?
There are also enough Ministers and Priests to recall the stories about Christmas. But can they hold a place against the onslaught of Black Friday?
Chanukah commemorates a military victory over foreigners, the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the story that the sparse oil used to light the perpetual flame lasted for eight days.
Perhaps all of that is somewhere in the back of the closet, along with the Christ child, buried in the noise of Black Friday.
Onward to shop.
And meanwhile, Happy Chanukah.
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Ira Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted via ira.sharkansky@sdjewishworld.com