Today is December 24th – Christmas eve.
I love to help my non-Jewish friends celebrate their holiday, just as they love to help me celebrate mine. But I don’t observe their holiday in my home. It doesn’t belong to me.
I am Jewish. I am proud of my Jewish heritage and identity.
We can draw an analogy to birthdays: Just as I can help you celebrate your birthday, help you eat cake and mark the day of your birth, I know full well that your birthday is not my birthday. I would not expect to receive birthday gifts on your birthday, nor have a party, nor receive cards. Therefore, I can help you celebrate your holidays in your home, but they are not my holy days, they are not my celebrations, they are not my festivals.
I was dismayed, therefore, earlier this month, to see that several of my Jewish friends and acquaintances had adopted “Chrismukah”: a made-up conglomeration of Christmas and Chanukah. Somehow, they wanted to have a tree in their home, experience the glittering lights and music that surround Christmas.
They rationalized the tree by saying: “it’s not religious!” And, “we made it blue and white! So it’s a Jewish tree!”
First of all, let me make one thing perfectly clear: Christmas and Chanukah are not analogous. Christmas is one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar. It celebrates Jesus’ birth.
By Jews adopting some of the symbolism of Christmas and saying “it’s not religious” we are demeaning the true meaning of what Christmas is all about. It devalues the holiness of the day for our Christian friends.
Second, Chanukah is a minor festival on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. E of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. This festival is not very important on our Jewish calendar. In fact, it is not even mentioned in our Hebrew bible! It was a festival declared by Judah Maccabee. The rabbis of old tried to minimize the celebration by focusing on the lighting of the Chanukiyah. (see my post from last week).
The only commonality between Christmas and Chanukah is the time of year that the two take place: they both occur around the winter solstice. They both include a “festival of lights.” But the similarities end there.
As a Jewish community, we do a dis-service to ourselves when we feel we must adopt the holy days of other religions as our own.
Our Jewish tradition is rich with festivals, holy days and Shabbat (Sabbath) observances. If we take pride in our own traditions, if we are able to know and understand what our rituals and traditions mean, then there will be no need to adopt/adapt other traditions as our own.
To my non-Jewish friends, I wish you a Merry Christmas.
To my Jewish friends, enjoy the day off, go to the movies, spend time with your family, or celebrate with your friends. Shabbat begins on Friday: I wish you an early Shabbat Shalom.
Very nice – and thoughtful! Xxoo Nancy
Sent from my iPad
>
Thank you – you would be surprised who has trees this year! Oy!
Thanks you, Sharon, for saying beautifully exactly how I feel. hugs, Mona
Thanks, Mona. Hugs back!
Thanks, Mona! Hugs back.
My rabbi, Yael Splansky taught me that the tree symbolizes the cross. So no tree for me. Oh well!
Lovely article,
Best wishes.
Thank you, Jack!
This was very well said. You are great.
I understand and basically agree with your thoughts. But for those of us, like myself, who are Jews by Choice (I converted when I was 24 and therefore have spent most of my life as a committed Jew) this can be a lonely and conflicted time of year. I was not brought up with any religion. My parents were and are still atheists, but Christmas was a huge part of my childhood. I decorate with lots of Hanukkah lights, and would never think of having a tree, but I miss Christmas all the same. Always will.
Dear Carol – I totally understand. Because those early days were memory makers and Christmas brings up all of that nostalgia for you. I recommend readinf my friend Richard Marceau’s times of Israel blog post. He Is also a Jew by Choice. The post is in French – but you can copy and paste it inti GOOGLE TRANSLATE FRENCH TO ENGLISH. I will message it to you on FB.
Thank you, Sharon. I would love to read your friend’s blog post.
If your parents were atheists what role did Christmas play in your home? FYI – Christmas is a Christian tradition
Great post Sharon! Many years ago, as a family, we tortured ourselves by going to Christmas shops and picking out blue and white lights, blue and white ornaments and calling it our Chanukah bush. So some little, niggling thought kept popping up. No we never, ever bought those things because somewhere, down deep, we knew we were/are Jews, it was NOT our holiday, and it was just plain wrong. Thank you for giving voice to our feelings so many years ago! Wishing you a happy and blessed New Year!
Happy new year to you too, Suellyn! Ox
Great post. I have also used the birthday analogy when we helped my former husband (Catholic-Baptist-Presbyterian) celebrate his holidays. We did have a tree, decorated with the most innocuous ornaments – no Santas, angels, halos, or mangers. But also no Jewish symbols. It was always “Daddy’s tree” just as his birthday included “Daddy’s cake.”