Shalom, this video is about the tensions and dilemmas that Jews and intermarried couples and conversionary couples faced at the winter season of Hanukkah Christmas. I want to explore some of this selling and issues and hope that people can arrived at a way in which they can co exist and celebrate and enjoy the holiday time. First of all, for Jew is a difficult time because Christmas so overwhelms everything at this time of the year, starting at Halloween now and we see lights and all the pretty nest in the festivities when you are walking into a store, it is merry Christmas and so Jews no matter how enthusiastic with Jewish feel apart and other so that is definitely attention. Some Jews have decided that they will adopt some of these rituals of the Christian because they think that they are not really religious, many Christians are religious but have them and I think that was a huge mistake and that is the consensus of the Jewish community.
First of all, the symbols of Christmas are very Christian. They go way back in Christian history; they have deep ties to, first of all paganism. In fact some of them were out load by early Christian because they were so pagan with them slowly adopt it, it is clearly there holiday. For example, the issue of the Christmas tree, the candles, the reefs, the Creech, all of that have deep, for example the crib were goes back to the Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223. They are all associated in some way with Christianity, the candles, the Jesus, the holy used by Christians and make re symbolizes the crowns torn that Jesus wants his death, kissing out of the missal toes in ancient Scandinavia and myth involving a god’s slain the dart. The three itself really did not become significant for Christmas until the 1930’s in America but its still, it is clear that Christmas is very wound up in Christian symbolism and myth.
And in Google, you can find out a great deal about it, and so I say it is not Christian, it is simply silly Christmas is the one of the most important, if not, the most important Christian holidays. It celebrate where they think is the birth of their god, even though scholars know December 25th had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus but still you cannot say I am going to adopt the symbols this holiday because it is just secular, it is simply not a valid thing. Now, it is a much more complicated of course when you have intermarried couples and conversionary couples. Even that a side, kids were two born Jewish parents and conversionary family still face the dilemma of sometimes in the schools they gathers Christmas carols and Christmas reefs and Christmas music and the courts continue to debate about that, the courts obviously allow Christmas trees in the public square if a biog national tree candle lighting by the president seems like we are losing that battle about grieving the public square to be free of religious symbols.
The Babitch combined if taking the opposite tack and put minors on their cars and they drive it on town and in the public candle lighting ceremony saying if you cannot beat them, join them. I am going to tell you just one interesting; I think few little stories when I was a kid. We had a target like store across the busy 87th street and my parents had first of all, you cannot cross that street because it is too busy and second of all on Christmas time, you cannot go as soon as left. To cross my big sister was then nine took as across the street, we had to see what these forbidden thing was, we got up at line, and sat at Santa’s lap. He said what do you want for Christmas, I said I am Jewish.
But we use to have opt have very good friends who put up to Christmas tree in Christian’s next door and we would go celebrate one day around Christmas time with them and they would come to our house and light candles and lot of gifts and we have to enjoy each others holidays clearly understanding, it was their holiday and this is our holiday. A lot of parents trying to get away we are saying well, we have Hanukkahs better than Christmas, that could get eight days. It is not better than Christmas, Christmas pervades the whole environment so a Jewish parents should say is what they should live which is we have shabbiest and we have Pesach and Purim and Tu B'Shevat and Shakos and Shavu'ot and Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah keeper.
They have all these holidays, all they celebrate time, we live in a Sukkot, we have decorations, and we have all this wonderful rituals that is our religious tradition. Let them have this one day and we can enjoy with them as their holiday. Now what happens though when you come from a Christian background, either you interfaith family relationship or you are in a situation where you converted and you still have non-Jewish parents and non-Jewish relatives and siblings and that is a very difficult and complicated situation and it is very challenging and navigate. I understand how hard it is even when someone embraces Judaism to still give us Christmas and people have come to all kinds of different resolutions about it, if there families are out of town, sometimes they leave town for the holidays.
Sometimes they do not go over to all, sometimes they go over before after Christmas, sometimes they will come to your house, and we make it very clear that this is their holiday. Now then the grandparent, when they give Christmas presence, you after decide whether you going to say they should give Christmas presence to you or Hanukkah presence to your kids, give them Christmas presence to their kids into them, because they are Christian. The all kind of different resolutions people have. Now I will just give you the recommendations from the interfaith handbook. It says quite we think that people who say they are raising their children but have a tree in celebrate Christmas, are not the fact not raising them in one religion. In America, the tree is such a potent symbol that in a lone introduces the second religion in the home.
They have a tree; you have as much as Christianity in your home as many Christian families. So their recommendation celebrate Hanukkah enthusiastically and have your Jewish life throughout the year, be vibrant enough to outshine Christmas once a year, dazzle. We also have the new situation with so many Russian Jews coming here that the communist era try to stay in about religion so they encourage everyone including the Jews, they have a new year tree. So any Russians come over here and they have a very secular tree and what they have to be taught is I do not think how secular you think it was there. That is a symbol of the Soviet Union trying to quash religion, the tree is a Christian symbol, and you should have a Jewish life and Jewish home and put the tree away.
Often kid with people who convert, build the Sukkot and have an ever green on top as the Shah and then you get you will get your evergreen fixed. But I know how complicated it is, it is really when encourage people to not have a tree, to not have any symbols of a Christian holiday but to live jewishly as best as they can. I understand the situation when there is an interfaith family, more complicated, you got a Christian and a Jew and a coupe has to decide even before they got married I think, it certainly before children, how they went to get navigate that because Christmas is living for Jews often with feelings of alien nation for Christians that can be the feeling deeply about family and culture and so you have to decide where you draw the line.
You have to really think about a plan of action, you should make it clear to your family and I do not want you to think that I have totally had nothing practically to do with this. I am married to a woman who enthusiastically embraces Judaism for 92 year-old mother is Christian, her children are still Christian and we go see her mother during the winter break time or mother has a Christmas tree that is just part of the reality of life. Now we are making it very clear, we are Jews or celebrating Judaism but we want to honor respect her mother, my wife sometimes goes to visit her kids that season of the year, very clear that she is Jewish and teaches Judaism, teaches world religion but there is America today and we have to resolve this in a way in which we respect our family’s feelings and still had truth in our heritage. So I just heard you at this season of the year to make Hanukkah as greater holiday as it is.
Traditionally was considered to be a minor holiday but it is taken on a great deal more significance because it really goes to the heart of dream of the few fighting of the mighty to who wanted to take over Israel and it goes the American dream about political and religious freedom. And it is the main holiday we have in the winter during the winter broken and usually and so it is embraced enthusiastically by the Jewish people. You actually study, one percent of the Jews participate on what rituals Hanukkah candle lighting and celebrating Hanukkah as one of the most observed Jewish festivals.
So I hope that it illuminates the subjects to a little bit, it requires careful thinking and careful planning, of course the position can evolve over the year but I really considered Jewish households that want to be Jewish not have any religious symbolism in their home to make it clear to their non-Jewish friends and family that they are Jewish and celebrate jewishly but they can definitely respect the religious celebrations of their family and friends by making fun with the, by being their when their families are celebrating if they want and by living together harmoniously in love and mutual affection.
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