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Hanukkah: Religious Freedom or Religious Coercion?

43 Min. Listen

December 14, 2022

Pesach and Doug tackle the holiday of Hanukkah… but this episode is not about dreidels and potato pancakes. They ask whether the common idea of Hanukkah as “the holiday of religious freedom” might completely miss the point, and whether its actual themes of religious purification and dedication to the God of Israel are ignored by the majority of those who celebrate. You may agree or disagree with Pesach’s conclusion, but you’ll walk away from this episode understanding the real history of Hanukkah, and perhaps why its popular image – ironically – might be the opposite of the truth.

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