Is Hanukkah responsive to Christmas?

Ran Abramitzky (), Liran Einav and Oren Rigbi ()
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Ran Abramitzky: Department of Economics, Stanford University

No 07-049, Discussion Papers from Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: We study the extent to which religious activity responds to the presence and activity of other religions. Specifcally, we employ individual-level survey data and county-level expenditure data to examine the extent to which Hanukkah celebration among U.S. Jews is driven by the presence of Christmas. We find that: (1) Jews with children at home are more likely to celebrate Hanukkah than Jews without children. (2) The effect of having children on Hanukkah celebrations is higher for reform Jews than for orthodox Jews; and, it is higher for Jews who feel a stronger sense of belonging to Judaism. (3) Jewish-related expenditures in Hanukkah are higher in counties with lower share of Jews. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that Jews increase religious activity during Hanukkah because of the presence of Christmas, and this response is primarily driven by the presence of children at home. One underlying motivator might be that Jewish parents in the U.S. celebrate Hanukkah more intensively so heir children do not feel left out, and/or because they are concerned that their children will convert or intermarry.

Keywords: Religions; Hanukkah; Identity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-03
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Related works:
Working Paper: Is Hanukkah Responsive to Christmas? (2012)
Journal Article: Is Hanukkah Responsive to Christmas? (2010)
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