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  CELEBRATE CHANUKAH Friends and Family: This is a takeoff on an Opinion piece written by Eli Kavon, and published in the Jerusalem Post on December 9 , 2015. The celebration of Chanukah in Israel differs from how Chanukah is celebrated outside of Israel.  For example, for many families in the USA, Chanukah is an ersatz form of Christmas where the emphasis is on giving gifts to children and family members so that they do not feel deprived or left out from the joy experienced by their Gentile neighbors and relatives.  Chanukah in the USA is a reflection of the passivity of the Diaspora Jew. However, to their credit, the assimilation of the Diaspora Jew is not complete: Gifts are often wrapped in blue paper, not red, and where the gift paper has a theme, it is of dreidels and brightly lit Chanukah menorahs, no Santa's or his elves, Rudolph's or Frosty's.  In more progressive homes, the Chanukah Bush substitutes for the offensi...