Christmas, as it always is, is on December 25, and Hanukkah this year begins after sundown on December 6, this coming Sunday night.
Every year I post the following message--or a variant of it--on Facebook, but this year, it seems that this message is needed more than ever.
Some people think there is a definite, overt attack on the Christmas holiday, what you should do to celebrate the day and what you should say to people during this time of the year.
Personally, I think that there is actually a veiled attack on Hanukkah going on in this world today, but really, it is way more than that: it is an attack on Jews across the world for what they stand for and what they believe in.
And if you read Facebook, it is really the Wild West there, and I read posts that are really, really disturbing, blatantly anti-Semitic in nature, and those that are much less threatening, those that simply portray any non-Christian holiday--Hanukkah in particular--as being unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
So I decided to post this message on Facebook once again, and I am going to post it here, too. It is only controversial because many of us--Jew and non-Jew alike--refuse to acknowledge that what I am saying is true, in particular, in this PC World where everything is beautiful in its own way, as the song goes, just as long as you go along with the majority.
Here goes:
"OK, here goes my yearly diatribe about the holidays.
Believe me, I am unhappy that I have to repeat this year after year, but I feel that I must.
Christmas is a beautiful holiday, with all its pageantry and lights.
And food.
Hanukkah is a beautiful holiday, again with all of its pageantry and lights.
And food.
Other than that, the two holidays share nothing, except for the approximate time period they are celebrated, at the end of the calendar year.
I am Jewish.
I have a menorah in my window.
I do not have a Hanukkah bush in my house--there is no such thing.
I do not celebrate Christmaskus, or whatever some people refer to the inappropriate blending of the two separate holidays.
If you know me well, do not send myself and my family Christmas or Season's Greetings cards.
Send us Hanukkah cards or send us nothing at all.
It takes no energy to move down the aisle and find a Hanukkah card for us.
I would never send a Hanukkah card to those I know who celebrate Christmas.
If you don't know me well, it is highly appropriate to wish myself and my family "Merry Christmas."
If you do know me well, it is highly inappropriate to wish myself and my family "Merry Christmas." It takes no extra energy to say "Happy Hanukkah."
And do not knock me for saying "Happy Holiday" to people I don't know well and "Merry Christmas" to those I do know well, and know celebrate Christmas.
'Nuf said. Have a great holiday, but do not confuse the two holidays. Please."
Believe me, I am unhappy that I have to repeat this year after year, but I feel that I must.
Christmas is a beautiful holiday, with all its pageantry and lights.
And food.
Hanukkah is a beautiful holiday, again with all of its pageantry and lights.
And food.
Other than that, the two holidays share nothing, except for the approximate time period they are celebrated, at the end of the calendar year.
I am Jewish.
I have a menorah in my window.
I do not have a Hanukkah bush in my house--there is no such thing.
I do not celebrate Christmaskus, or whatever some people refer to the inappropriate blending of the two separate holidays.
If you know me well, do not send myself and my family Christmas or Season's Greetings cards.
Send us Hanukkah cards or send us nothing at all.
It takes no energy to move down the aisle and find a Hanukkah card for us.
I would never send a Hanukkah card to those I know who celebrate Christmas.
If you don't know me well, it is highly appropriate to wish myself and my family "Merry Christmas."
If you do know me well, it is highly inappropriate to wish myself and my family "Merry Christmas." It takes no extra energy to say "Happy Hanukkah."
And do not knock me for saying "Happy Holiday" to people I don't know well and "Merry Christmas" to those I do know well, and know celebrate Christmas.
'Nuf said. Have a great holiday, but do not confuse the two holidays. Please."
And that is just the way I feel. Sorry if it offends you, but it is heartfelt, and I mean no offense to anybody, even though I take offense at some of the behavior of people during this time of year.
As you might imagine, this message has gotten little response. One person actually gave it a like, which I appreciate, but I didn't even expect that.
Here is some of what I said about the message in total, summarized:
"I think that occasionally, people have to be reminded of this. Christmas is all consuming, and with people claiming that the holiday is being attacked by certain events, I think some of these people have to be reminded that we all don't celebrate their holiday. I enjoy Christmastime, but to me, it is simply a day off, nothing else.
"Further, I did not think too many people would comment on and/or like this post. We are in such a PC world, that anything that breaks from the norm seems to rile people. They agree with the thought behind such a post, but refuse to back it ... ."
And please, don't tell me about Hanukkah being a minor holiday. I know all about that, but here in America, it is a major holiday, so it must be treated as such, and respected by all, just like non-Jews fully and completely respect Christmas.
Anyway, if you disagree with what I have to say, please, read the message again. Put yourself in my shoes, and perhaps you will get it.
I just wish some of my brethren would wake up and smell the roses.
It ain't that pretty during this time of year, and if Facebook is a gauge--and I do believe it is in our society today--it isn't just not pretty, it is pretty ugly, to tell you the truth.
P.S.:In late morning, something came up that I will have to attend to tomorrow, so I won't be writing anything on Thursday. I hopefully will be back on Friday. Speak to you then.
Larry, you're just as bad as those idiots who made a humongous fuss over the Starbucks cups and the Santa display at Roosevelt Field.
ReplyDeleteHannukah could never be a major holiday in America. Jews make up 2% of the population of the United States. A holiday celebrated by such a tiny group could never be considered "major".
The reason your vision is skewed is because you are blessed to live on Long Island. There are more Jews living in NYC and its environs than there are in Eretz Yisroal. Not to mention how over represented we are in pop culture. The ADL always walks a fine line between "Isn't it nice that Fran Fein got to light a menorah?" and neo-Nazi bigotry like "The Jews control Hollywood".
That people consider Hannukah the "Jewish Christmas" is a problem of our own making, as we embrace the materialistic aspects of the season so our children won't feel left out. A friend of mine, raised here on Long Island, lived in Tel Aviv when her children were young. If she visited the US in December she'd buy decorations, wrapping paper, etc. to bring home, because, in her words, "We don't have that in Israel."
I don't know about your Facebook experience lately, but mine has not been ugly at all. I think it's because my friends tend to be an eclectic group who respect each other's differences year round, not just at the holidays. And none of us walk around with a chip on our shoulder because someone gave us the "wrong" holiday greeting.
Of course, it's nice to be acknowledged. I will wish my Jewish friends "Happy Hannukah", my Christian friends get a heartfelt "Merry Christmas". I say "Happy Kwanzaa" when appropriate, and I even wish a "Happy Festivus" to my quirky friend the Seinfeld fan. I don't go on a rant about how those are 'made up holidays". And I say "Happy holidays" to everyone else.
And I take any holliday greeting as a sincere wish for my seasonal happiness and well being.
Have a happy Hannukah, enjoy your latkes.
I should also mention ... the former president of my synagogue grew up in Texas. She once said to me "In Texas, even the Jews act like Gentiles. Here in New York, even the Gentiles act like Jews." It's an interesting perspective, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI never mentioned Hanukkah as a holiday akin to Christmas. Read the first part of what I wrote. I enjoy both holidays, but I am Jewish, so to send me a Christmas card if you know I am Jewish is insulting and more importantly, condescending. You, being the perfect Jew that you claim to be, don't see that. And of course, I could say more about what I know, but I choose not to, in deference to someone else.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd get off your soapbox and remove that chip from your shoulder, you'd have a longer and happier life. Getting twisted up over a holiday card is a waste of your time and energy.
ReplyDeleteI am not getting "twisted up" over a mere holiday card; it is a behavior that I am increasingly seeing, where "the war on Christmas" is really attacking Jews, among other faiths, and I just think it is wrong--and even more wrong when this nonsense happens within one's own family. Funny, you can read between the lines of what I say at the drop of a hat, but you don't see this while it is right in front of you. Wonder why?
DeleteChag Chanukah Sameach.
ReplyDeleteYou now, I was going to leave this alone, but I couldn't. I don't know the particulars of your friendship, but ...
ReplyDeleteLet's start with your theory that it's an insult. I doubt very much that your friend went to the store, picked out a card, addressed it and mailed it with the intent to insult you. Your friend sent you a card because they value their friendship with you and wanted to send you a seasonal message of joy and happiness. I doubt they even thought about how "Larry is Jewish, so let's send him a Chanukah card."
You expect them to make the extra effort to send a Chanukah card? What kind of special snowflake are you anyhow? No one owes you a greeting card, much less one that caters to your special needs.
Let's move on to the fact that few people buy individual Christmas cards. Most folks either send out personalized cards (i.e., a family photo with a caption such as "Merry Christmas from the X family") or tend to buy a box of preprinted cards for those on their mailing list. Those individual cards are usually meant for close relatives and people with whom you are exchanging gifts.
And now let me address your parochial Long Island world view. You are blessed to live in a region with a large Jewish population, where stores feel the need to carry Chanukah merchandise because a significant number of their customers are Jewish. Even here, though...well, I find it much easier to find Judaica in Plainview than I do in Levittown. I'm wondering if your friend lives in an area where Chanukah cards aren't readily available.
So go ahead, tell your friend how insulted you were by their Christmas card. My guess is that next year you won't have to worry about getting the "wrong" card, because you won't be getting a card at all.
I am talking about a close family relative, so you can throw out your entire explanation here. And it happens each and every year, even though we have attempted to tell the person, in a nice way, that the card is an incorrect one.
DeleteAnd while we are on the subject...I never claimed to be a "perfect" Jew. I am, however, more knowledgeable than you about Judaism, and I am also much more connected to the Jewish community. I find that those of us who are more involved in Jewish institutions are less likely to be concerned that there are no Chanukah TV specials and that our favorite recording artists who identify as Jewish have recorded Christmas albums but not Chanukah songs. And no, it isn't just you who seeks your Jewish identity in pop culture, I have several friends who do the same thing as you, to a certain extent. But my friends who are very active in the synagogue and the JCC are far less likely to feel like they're "on the outside looking in" at Christmas and are far less likely to see parity between Chanukah and Christmas in the media.
ReplyDeleteThough if you're looking for Chanukah music, the Maccabeats do great versions of current pop songs with Jewish holiday lyrics. If you want more traditional music, Amazon has Cantor Debbie Friedman's Chanukah album on CD.
I have plenty of Hanukkah music to entertain me. And yes, when Barbra Streisand, a Grammy winning songwriter, tells an interviewer that the reason that she does not sing Hanukkah songs and has chosen to sing Christmas songs is that "there are no Hanukkah songs out there for her to sing," and when Barry Manilow says his Christmas songs aren't religious, yet sings "Ave Maria," and when a local radio station here calls Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song" a Christmas song, iI really has to make me wonder.
ReplyDelete