Hannah Sto Helit
@hannahstohelit.bsky.social
"You know, between the dames and the horses, sometimes I don't know why I even put my hat on."
-Arthur Shappey
-Arthur Shappey
What I mean is, those are often made by outsiders for insiders, but within the rhythms of the outsider culture because that's what they know. I own a sweater like that too, but to be honest I much prefer Chanukah stuff that doesn't feel like a knock off of a Christmas thing.
December 10, 2025 at 5:32 PM
What I mean is, those are often made by outsiders for insiders, but within the rhythms of the outsider culture because that's what they know. I own a sweater like that too, but to be honest I much prefer Chanukah stuff that doesn't feel like a knock off of a Christmas thing.
If assimilation just means "acclimating to where you are," then everyone assimilates, no matter where they are or who they are. There's no one way to do anything.
December 10, 2025 at 5:20 PM
If assimilation just means "acclimating to where you are," then everyone assimilates, no matter where they are or who they are. There's no one way to do anything.
The thing is a lot of this comes from the outside- people trying to market/appeal to Jews but within the bounds of the existing Christmas culture that is so pervasive as to be almost invisible.
December 10, 2025 at 5:19 PM
The thing is a lot of this comes from the outside- people trying to market/appeal to Jews but within the bounds of the existing Christmas culture that is so pervasive as to be almost invisible.
Re the seder thing, so do plenty of Jews here! And I think what you're describing is just a very Israeli attitude toward diaspora and I'd disagree with its premise.
December 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Re the seder thing, so do plenty of Jews here! And I think what you're describing is just a very Israeli attitude toward diaspora and I'd disagree with its premise.
(Sorry, by "below" I meant in my Reddit thing, no idea why I wrote that)
December 10, 2025 at 4:38 PM
(Sorry, by "below" I meant in my Reddit thing, no idea why I wrote that)
Secular Jews, if anything, glom onto Chanukah BECAUSE it's a minor holiday, as I discussed below. You can be part of it and NOT feel like you're part of the Christian cultural hegemony with minimal religious investment.
December 10, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Secular Jews, if anything, glom onto Chanukah BECAUSE it's a minor holiday, as I discussed below. You can be part of it and NOT feel like you're part of the Christian cultural hegemony with minimal religious investment.
...while assimilation in the US led to secularization, and secular Jews glommed onto Chanukah as a "Jewish winter holiday," there is more to the whole thing than just that secularization.
December 10, 2025 at 4:34 PM
...while assimilation in the US led to secularization, and secular Jews glommed onto Chanukah as a "Jewish winter holiday," there is more to the whole thing than just that secularization.
My point about rabbinical figures is that there is often an implication that Chanukah has become an actually more important JEWISH holiday, hence the comparison with the Yamim Noraim or Pesach or whatever. Jewish secularization in the US decreases the relevance of the rabbinate, sure, but...
December 10, 2025 at 4:34 PM
My point about rabbinical figures is that there is often an implication that Chanukah has become an actually more important JEWISH holiday, hence the comparison with the Yamim Noraim or Pesach or whatever. Jewish secularization in the US decreases the relevance of the rabbinate, sure, but...
There have been various forms of Chanukah celebration all over the world for many many years before either the US or Israel existed obviously, and they all reflected whatever was in their society (whether hyperlocal or more broadly). Chalking US Chanukah down to "assimilation" is too pat.
December 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
There have been various forms of Chanukah celebration all over the world for many many years before either the US or Israel existed obviously, and they all reflected whatever was in their society (whether hyperlocal or more broadly). Chalking US Chanukah down to "assimilation" is too pat.
I mean, in the same way that Christmas changed with American society, sure. But just saying "it was assimilation" is overly pat and I don't think totally accurate. There are many push and pull factors, and of course the way that Israel celebrates is by no means "pure" bc that's not a thing.
December 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I mean, in the same way that Christmas changed with American society, sure. But just saying "it was assimilation" is overly pat and I don't think totally accurate. There are many push and pull factors, and of course the way that Israel celebrates is by no means "pure" bc that's not a thing.
Saying it's IMPOSSIBLE to connect American popularity of Chanukah with Zionism just because it's celebrated differently in Israel vs the US ignores the many many many other cultural divides between the two countries that would lead to those differences. But yeah, it's still minor.
December 10, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Saying it's IMPOSSIBLE to connect American popularity of Chanukah with Zionism just because it's celebrated differently in Israel vs the US ignores the many many many other cultural divides between the two countries that would lead to those differences. But yeah, it's still minor.
At the same time, I cannot imagine a single religious/rabbinic figure in the US claiming that Chanukah is a more significant holiday than the actual chagim. Certainly US cultural factors contributed to the way it's celebrated, but calling those factors simply "assimilation" is missing the point.
December 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
At the same time, I cannot imagine a single religious/rabbinic figure in the US claiming that Chanukah is a more significant holiday than the actual chagim. Certainly US cultural factors contributed to the way it's celebrated, but calling those factors simply "assimilation" is missing the point.
I mentioned Zionism only briefly, and emphasized other factors as more significant. The broader trends at play in Israel vs the US were entirely different so if Zionism contributed anything it was more of a flavor to existing cultural trends.
December 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I mentioned Zionism only briefly, and emphasized other factors as more significant. The broader trends at play in Israel vs the US were entirely different so if Zionism contributed anything it was more of a flavor to existing cultural trends.
I wrote more about this here and stand by at least 90% of it lol- www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
From the AskHistorians community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community
www.reddit.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I wrote more about this here and stand by at least 90% of it lol- www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...
I think there's a difference between "Chanukah became a more important Jewish holiday religiously as a result of assimilation" (a big big reach) and "the scale of celebration of this minor holiday was influenced by the idea of a winter holiday season" (indisputably true)
December 10, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I think there's a difference between "Chanukah became a more important Jewish holiday religiously as a result of assimilation" (a big big reach) and "the scale of celebration of this minor holiday was influenced by the idea of a winter holiday season" (indisputably true)
That Jay Foreman video had the most delightfully random set of people in it
December 9, 2025 at 12:58 PM
That Jay Foreman video had the most delightfully random set of people in it
I feel like there's a real lack of understanding that this is a form of Holocaust denial. Read a biography of the Mitford sisters which cited Diana Moseley as saying she didn't believe a full 6 million Jews were killed and described it as "she would admit to what happened but only on her terms."
December 8, 2025 at 11:04 PM
I feel like there's a real lack of understanding that this is a form of Holocaust denial. Read a biography of the Mitford sisters which cited Diana Moseley as saying she didn't believe a full 6 million Jews were killed and described it as "she would admit to what happened but only on her terms."
I don't totally disagree- I think the mystery in WUDM is much much better than that in Glass Onion, but that GO was more fully fun and enjoyable. WUDM is also more clearly attempting to be a Filmed Impossible Crime Novel which IMO doesn't totally work structurally especially at the beginning.
December 8, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I don't totally disagree- I think the mystery in WUDM is much much better than that in Glass Onion, but that GO was more fully fun and enjoyable. WUDM is also more clearly attempting to be a Filmed Impossible Crime Novel which IMO doesn't totally work structurally especially at the beginning.
Okay, revisiting this thread after having read a few interviews with RJ and now I feel bad as he seems to take the religious exploration seriously as someone who's been on a journey... didn't mean to denigrate the bits of himself he put in it! I do think it's interesting/impactful, just not... IDK.
December 8, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Okay, revisiting this thread after having read a few interviews with RJ and now I feel bad as he seems to take the religious exploration seriously as someone who's been on a journey... didn't mean to denigrate the bits of himself he put in it! I do think it's interesting/impactful, just not... IDK.
I did in fact do it lol bsky.app/profile/hann...
OKAY, for my own enjoyment I'm writing a spoiler-free review thread of Wake Up Dead Man, or as I've been mentally calling it the new Knives Out movie, though if you want to go into the movie TOTALLY blind definitely skip this-
THREAD BELOW:
THREAD BELOW:
Watching Wake Up Dead Man after having read Locked Room Murders by Robert Adey makes the solution not very difficult but also VERY fun
(My feelings on the movie are complex but mainly very positive if only for the incredibly fun golden age allusions)
(My feelings on the movie are complex but mainly very positive if only for the incredibly fun golden age allusions)
December 8, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I did in fact do it lol bsky.app/profile/hann...
If you already like Christie then you will LOVE these two! Some of my faves.
December 8, 2025 at 5:05 PM
If you already like Christie then you will LOVE these two! Some of my faves.
By what mechanism does this person think Anne Frank hid
December 8, 2025 at 5:04 PM
By what mechanism does this person think Anne Frank hid
Definitely do! Some short stories are SUPER weird, some are excellent, some are excellent AND super weird including the aforementioned one.
If you get her short story collection, get the complete Sayers, not the complete Lord Peter- her non Wimsey stories are often better than the Wimsey ones.
If you get her short story collection, get the complete Sayers, not the complete Lord Peter- her non Wimsey stories are often better than the Wimsey ones.
December 8, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Definitely do! Some short stories are SUPER weird, some are excellent, some are excellent AND super weird including the aforementioned one.
If you get her short story collection, get the complete Sayers, not the complete Lord Peter- her non Wimsey stories are often better than the Wimsey ones.
If you get her short story collection, get the complete Sayers, not the complete Lord Peter- her non Wimsey stories are often better than the Wimsey ones.
Amazing!! As someone now moving farther and farther on the journey I definitely recommend it :)
December 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Amazing!! As someone now moving farther and farther on the journey I definitely recommend it :)
(It is of course possible that someone else used this not particularly uncommon plot device and THAT's where RJ got it from, but given that one of DLS's books is specifically called out earlier I am assuming that he purposely referenced this story.)
December 8, 2025 at 4:57 PM
(It is of course possible that someone else used this not particularly uncommon plot device and THAT's where RJ got it from, but given that one of DLS's books is specifically called out earlier I am assuming that he purposely referenced this story.)