Comedian and actress Iliza Shlesinger told Israel advocate Noa Tishby that Hanukkah is "the most American holiday" on the fourth night of Tishby's eight-day-long Hanukkah series.
Tishby is collaborating with various Jewish celebrities for the series. So far, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mila Kunis, and Mayim Bialik have joined the Israeli actress for the first, second, and third nights, respectively.
"[Hanukkah] is the most American holiday, and it's a story of triumph over evil, triumph after desecration, of rebuilding, of resistance," Shlesinger said. "It's basically the American Revolution, but with food that is more fun."
"First of all, Hanukkah is eight days long. Americans love value. We love extravagance. We love a sale that goes on for a long time. So do Jews," Shlesinger said, adding that Hanukkah is "basically the state fair of holidays" because of the abundance of fried food Jews consume over the course of the eight nights.
She also mentioned that the Hanukkah story is about the Maccabee's military victory and that there is "nothing more American than a military victory."
Fried food, a military victory, and 8 nights of celebration — @iliza Shlesinger makes a very convincing argument that Hanukkah might just be the most American holiday. ✨ Join us as we light the fourth candle and share some laughs and Hanukkah songs. Tune in every day at 11… pic.twitter.com/b9PLtnUzRz
— Noa Tishby (@noatishby) December 28, 2024
Light it up
"We, as Jews in America, have missed an incredible opportunity to market and exploit Hanukkah into the hearts of Americans and gentiles at large," Schlesinger said.
"We are the ones who, in this festival of lights, should not only be lighting menorahs but lighting up our houses, not shuddering in darkness, hoping a hate crime doesn't happen," she said. "We missed it. We need top Jewish minds on this rebrand so that people understand that we're having the most fun, and we'd love people to join us."
The fact that Jews haven't "capitalized on this shows that we clearly don't run the media. Otherwise, everything would be about Hanukkah," Shlesinger said, adding a joke that "mensch on a bench" should've come before "elf on a shelf."
As a reform Jew, Shlesinger said she was unfamiliar with most of the songs Israeli children sing after candle lighting, so Tishbi taught her a few classics, such as Maoz Tsur, Ner Li, and Banu Chosech Legaresh.