Thirty-three years ago, the Soviet Union collapsed, sending political ripples and millions of migrants around the world. Germany took in some 200,000 Jews, and they brought traditions from home, ...

Every year in late December, my childhood home transformed into a vision of American bliss. We’d gather to ornament a tree, drape string lights around the house, and sit down to an elaborate feast.

Some 200,000 Jewish refugees came to Germany after the fall of the USSR, and brought cultural traditions — like partying hard during Christmas. Thirty-three years ago, the Soviet Union collapsed, ...