Americans, Irish or not, are preparing for St. Patricks Day drunk-festivals this upcoming Friday.
It’s amazing what appeal someone else’s holiday when the beer industry gets behind it. Most people couldn’t tell you who St. Patrick was for the life of them, but they sure can drink beer by the keg (usually lite American beer tinted green instead of a certain thick-as-mud Irish beer, too).
Ths has got me to wondering: what Jewish holidays could inspire mass-market, cross-cultural appeal if only a major industry got behind them and pushed them hard?
Purim. For many Jews, it’s our drinking festival.
And it falls right around St. Patrick’s Day, so people can have a double-whammy while celebrating two different cultures.
Tu’Bishvat could be very popular among the Earth Day Crowd.
Lag B’Omer could catch on among Rednecks – Have a Picnic and shoot Bows and Arrows? Sounds like any random spring weekend!
And, if they understood it’s meaning, Tisha B’Av would be immensely popular in the Arab world.
Well, Passover went over big after a fashion, but of course the goyim put their own twist on it. Ditto Shabbat.