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Joseph, it seems, was able to
maintain his place — particularly
when a lord in Egypt, in completely
alien surroundings, and still demon-
strate his relationship with God.
This, the historical challenge to the
Jews in exile — being prominent
and contributing to the welfare of
all, while living within an alien cul-
ture and still maintaining one's par-
ticular Jewish identity — was met
successfully by Joseph in Egypt. And
this same challenge remains very
much with us here in America. It is,
in fact, the challenge so manifest
this time of year with the celebration
of the festival of Chanuka.
The origin of the festival itself
was the clash between two different
cultures, Jewish tradition and
Hellenism. The victory, which we
celebrate at Chanuka, was the main-
tenance of Jewish tradition and prac-
tice and the refusal to submit to
forced Hellenization. Of course, this
battle becomes more complex when
the alternatives to authentic Jewish
tradition are not forced upon us, but
rather freely offered. Surely, this is
the challenge we face as Jews in
America. And this challenge is not
only reflected in the origin of the
Chanuka festival and its meaning in
Jewish history — it is also reflected
in the actual reality of the holiday
itself in Arnerica.
At th;c time of year, who can
doubt that we Jews are living within
an "alien culture"? How many Jews
can withstand the social, business,
esthetic and cultural pressures to
proclaim forcefully, publicly and
proudly that we indeed are different,
just as Joseph did millennia ago? 1-1

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What difficulties must have
faced Joseph in maintaining his
own tradition and bringing up
his children within that tradi-
tion in Egypt? How was he suc-
cessful when so many Jews in
America have become com-
pletely assimilated? What chal-
lenges to Jewish tradition and
practice do we face and how do
we meet these challenges? Is the
pervasive spirit of Christmas
and its celebration a problem?
If so, how can we meet this
challenge?

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