Jews and decorations at Chanukah and Christmas time
Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scarlettinaWhile reading the New York Times this morning, I came across this piece, called "Jewish in a Winter Wonderland,", about a pair of Jewish newlyweds who decide that, being across the country from family where no one would know, they would put up a Christmas tree just because they wanted to. They're adults, after all, and they can indulge in all the kitsch and consumerism they please. (The writer then does a shout-out to her parents, who she knows reads her stuff; I was amused.) Reading the piece, I recognized a lot of the thoughts and feelings the writer expresses, that occasional feeling of "I want blinky lights and a tree the cats will take apart and stockings too heavy to stay on the mantle!" And then, I feel my dad sitting on my shoulder, reminding me that none of that stuff is our tradition and it's not appropriate.
At the end of the NYT article were links to four other pieces, all of which appeared to be on the theme of Jews embracing the trappings of Christmas without the religious overtones. The link I chose was to this article about a Jewish woman in LA who lives in a mostly Orthodox neighborhood and who puts up a pretty ostentatious Christmas display in her front yard every year, including Santa Claus and reindeer and an enormous Frosty the Snowman. The two points that spoke to me in the article were:
First: “Santa Claus is inherently Christian,” said Michael J. Broyde, the director of the Law and Religion Program at Emory University and an expert on Jewish law and ethics, pointing out that the character is derived from a third-century saint, Nicolas. He added, “I have never thought about candy canes.”
Then this note: “I don’t know why the Jewish people don’t decorate more,” said Marilyn Corre, a British Jew who is married to a former prisoner of war of the Japanese in World War II — both were raised in Orthodox homes. (Perhaps, thought I, being a practical people, Jews don't decorate more because it would be more stuff to transport from place to place when it was time to flee.)
I know that in my mind, having grown up Jewish in an Italian/German neighborhood where a lot of the kids went to parochial school,* Christmas lights and Christmas trees and Christmas wreaths were firmly associated with, well, the Mass of the Christ. On the other hand, when I was a kid, winter solstice was merely a date on the calendar, not something more generally acknowledged and celebrated as it is in my current social circles. The country is, in some ways, more secular and more embracing than it was when I was a kid. But the teachings of childhood die hard and the prefix "Christmas" attached to lights and trees and wreaths has a lingering association for me. Objectively, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mysticalforest has pointed out, these things are attached to customs much older than Christmas and aren't doctrinally attached to the holiday; they're part of human heritage more than they are part of Christian heritage. My response to him was that generations of accrued association are hard to shake. This is unfortunate, because there is a loveliness, a cheerfulness to lights and wreaths that is very appealing.
Reading these two articles and noting the links to yet two more, I had another reaction I wasn't expecting, which was, "Wow, this feels like pressure to assimilate." It was a momentary flash, but it lasted long enough for me to notice it. And that made me a little uncomfortable. Would putting up a Chanukah bush (that thinly-disguised Christmas tree) or white lights along my balcony railing make me somehow less Jewish (not that I'm a paragon of observance or belief in God to begin with)? Or would it make me, weirdly, more American? Jews have often been cultural chameleons, retaining religious observance in every cultural context, while absorbing the flavor and customs of the people around them. What constitutes crossing the line? What's the boundary? (Is there a boundary?) Is it custom? Is it belief? I should think it would be the latter more than the former. One piece I found while contemplating this entry makes a point about why a Chanukah bush might not be the best way to celebrate at this time of year: "On Chanukah, we celebrate the victory of traditional Jewish culture over both the forces without that strove to overturn it and the forces within that wished to dilute it." This also puts me in mind of a movie reference, that scene in "Witness" where the Amish grandfather says to his grandson of a hand gun, "What you take into your hand, you take into your heart."
I haven't settled on the answer for myself. That being the case, there was no Chanukah bush or blinky lights at my place this year (as there never has been).
I should note, for the record, that I'm not distressed by any of this thinking. This whole entry is me chewing over the accretion of cultural crust on symbols and customs and how that accretion affects our habits, religious observance, and social discourse. And, yes, it certainly is me thinking about my own choices.
* My parents chose this neighborhood, according to my mom, because they wanted us to grow up knowing there were other people besides Jews in the world—a laudable goal though I'm not sure I agree with the mode of instruction. I heard the word "kike" from my contemporaries before I was out of fifth grade.
In light of all this (and to lighten the mood), I offer a little holiday chuckle, "Chinese Food On Christmas," a simple little YouTube treat: a guy at a piano with a Jewish perspective. Happy merry!
At the end of the NYT article were links to four other pieces, all of which appeared to be on the theme of Jews embracing the trappings of Christmas without the religious overtones. The link I chose was to this article about a Jewish woman in LA who lives in a mostly Orthodox neighborhood and who puts up a pretty ostentatious Christmas display in her front yard every year, including Santa Claus and reindeer and an enormous Frosty the Snowman. The two points that spoke to me in the article were:
First: “Santa Claus is inherently Christian,” said Michael J. Broyde, the director of the Law and Religion Program at Emory University and an expert on Jewish law and ethics, pointing out that the character is derived from a third-century saint, Nicolas. He added, “I have never thought about candy canes.”
Then this note: “I don’t know why the Jewish people don’t decorate more,” said Marilyn Corre, a British Jew who is married to a former prisoner of war of the Japanese in World War II — both were raised in Orthodox homes. (Perhaps, thought I, being a practical people, Jews don't decorate more because it would be more stuff to transport from place to place when it was time to flee.)
I know that in my mind, having grown up Jewish in an Italian/German neighborhood where a lot of the kids went to parochial school,* Christmas lights and Christmas trees and Christmas wreaths were firmly associated with, well, the Mass of the Christ. On the other hand, when I was a kid, winter solstice was merely a date on the calendar, not something more generally acknowledged and celebrated as it is in my current social circles. The country is, in some ways, more secular and more embracing than it was when I was a kid. But the teachings of childhood die hard and the prefix "Christmas" attached to lights and trees and wreaths has a lingering association for me. Objectively, as
mysticalforest has pointed out, these things are attached to customs much older than Christmas and aren't doctrinally attached to the holiday; they're part of human heritage more than they are part of Christian heritage. My response to him was that generations of accrued association are hard to shake. This is unfortunate, because there is a loveliness, a cheerfulness to lights and wreaths that is very appealing. Reading these two articles and noting the links to yet two more, I had another reaction I wasn't expecting, which was, "Wow, this feels like pressure to assimilate." It was a momentary flash, but it lasted long enough for me to notice it. And that made me a little uncomfortable. Would putting up a Chanukah bush (that thinly-disguised Christmas tree) or white lights along my balcony railing make me somehow less Jewish (not that I'm a paragon of observance or belief in God to begin with)? Or would it make me, weirdly, more American? Jews have often been cultural chameleons, retaining religious observance in every cultural context, while absorbing the flavor and customs of the people around them. What constitutes crossing the line? What's the boundary? (Is there a boundary?) Is it custom? Is it belief? I should think it would be the latter more than the former. One piece I found while contemplating this entry makes a point about why a Chanukah bush might not be the best way to celebrate at this time of year: "On Chanukah, we celebrate the victory of traditional Jewish culture over both the forces without that strove to overturn it and the forces within that wished to dilute it." This also puts me in mind of a movie reference, that scene in "Witness" where the Amish grandfather says to his grandson of a hand gun, "What you take into your hand, you take into your heart."
I haven't settled on the answer for myself. That being the case, there was no Chanukah bush or blinky lights at my place this year (as there never has been).
I should note, for the record, that I'm not distressed by any of this thinking. This whole entry is me chewing over the accretion of cultural crust on symbols and customs and how that accretion affects our habits, religious observance, and social discourse. And, yes, it certainly is me thinking about my own choices.
* My parents chose this neighborhood, according to my mom, because they wanted us to grow up knowing there were other people besides Jews in the world—a laudable goal though I'm not sure I agree with the mode of instruction. I heard the word "kike" from my contemporaries before I was out of fifth grade.
In light of all this (and to lighten the mood), I offer a little holiday chuckle, "Chinese Food On Christmas," a simple little YouTube treat: a guy at a piano with a Jewish perspective. Happy merry!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 06:34 pm (UTC)In the US, my folks keps putting up a New Year's tree for a while. They'd just put it up and decorate it the day after Christmas. I think they didn't stop until I went away to college. I kind of miss it, and am occasionally tempted to take up the tradition again, but like you, I find there's too much baggage attached once I start thinking about it. Plus, I'd have to keep explaining it to people, and that would get tiresome.
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 11:06 pm (UTC)::chuckle:: Humans do have a way of keeping that which we want to keep, don't we?
I find there's too much baggage attached once I start thinking about it.
Yep. I really wish there weren't.
By the way, I received the disc—thank you so much! Been listening to it pretty much constantly. Yay!
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 07:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 10:05 pm (UTC)The worst comments also display a total lack of understanding of basic English, and I doubt it's because they are non-native. Rather, they are ignorant asshats that can't be bothered to learn how to talk in their own language. Nuff said.
/end catty.
Anyway, I come from a place with no holiday traditions to speak of.. I mean really, none. So I just sorta do whatever works out year by year. I wish I had more of a history to lean back on.
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 11:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 07:42 pm (UTC)What?
the character is derived from a third-century saint, Nicolas
Keyword: Derived. Meaning: Not that any more.
Everything grows and evolves, yes (well, not if you're a certain type of Christian, oddly enough)? I don't think Santa = Christ any more, if "Santa" as opposed to S. Nick ever did.
Aren't Santa and Nick two separate entities anyway?
And who, outside of a devout Catholic, even knows what a saint is supposed to be in the mythology?
If anyone sees Santa Claus holding a can of Coke and thinks "Look! A holy dignitary of Christ!" (or whatever it is that saints are) I'll eat my hat and Santa's hat too.
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 11:23 pm (UTC)But "Santa Claus" does come from Sinterklaas, St. Nicholaas, Father Christmas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus); the association is there for those of us who don't believe in saints and Jesus. It comes out of Christian tradition; nothing at all to do with Judaism. His clothes are red because the figure upon whom he is based was a bishop, not because some Coca Cola artist randomly chose that color. Christianity is written all over the character, at least for Jews, and it's a hard separation for me to make emotionally even if I know it intellectually. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way; millions of others do, too. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade; I'm trying to shed light on a different perspective. And if I didn't have a hard time with it, if I weren't struggling with training and emotion versus intellect, I wouldn't have written this rumination in the first place.
In another couple of generations we may get to a point where these symbols aren't so freighted with meaning. That would be great. We'll see.
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 08:48 pm (UTC)We had "Chanukah lights" (blue and white) when I was a kid because I loved the seasonal lights so. I haven't had decorations since becoming an adult. I've always loved the seasonal music (as we discussed earlier). My favorite choral concerts, both as a performer and audience member, have been those at this holiday time. I have many very happy thoughts of the season from throughout my lifetime.
M. and I have been gravitating towards a Unitarian Universalist church, because I was brought up Jewish and he was brought up Catholic, and this church seems to fit our "needs." I was at first shocked at the amount of "CHRISTMAS!!" they've been presenting at this self-described non-preachy church, but I now think that's because of my perspective. I never in my life have gone to church regularly, so this is new for me.
But, yeah, every so often, there's that gnawing tidbit of guilt that gets me to wondering if I'm doing something "wrong." I don't know the answer to that one.
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 09:39 pm (UTC)Many of my pagan friends have some trouble with this as well -- they want to reclaim the Tree -- but have so much baggage from their childhood, it feels like "letting mom win" to many of them.
It's a fine line -- and one that lies in a slightly different plane for almost everyone.
no subject
Date: Sun, Dec. 24th, 2006 10:24 pm (UTC)Okay, that and I can reference the birth of Mithras on Dec 25th and relax completely about the seeming Christianity of the holiday. I don't worship Mithras any more than I worship Christ, but I don't have any issue with celebrating his birth.
no subject
Date: Mon, Dec. 25th, 2006 03:00 am (UTC)I might still buy some next week.
This year I also starting saying “Merry Christmas” to a lot of people because I am now at the point where I think, 'why the hell not'?
I'm told the Japanese celebrate Xmas as some sort of Annual Gift Day, which for them is completely divorced from Christianity, which they know nothing of at all anyhow. So they get all the fun & consumerism of it and none of the guilt, supposedly.
no subject
Date: Mon, Dec. 25th, 2006 10:37 pm (UTC)Bag the bush - it's too obivously derivative - but, hey, it's a Festival of Lights, right?? Try and break the Bonneville Power Administration! Sure, blue and white should predominate, just like red and green for those other people, but why not put a spinning giant driedel in the front yard? Why not have a 12-foot high Chanukieh (sp?)??
Chanukah is a minor holiday, you say? So was Christmas two or three centuries ago (the big thing then being Easter). Who says you can't pump up Chanukah?
no subject
Date: Tue, Dec. 26th, 2006 04:31 am (UTC)One of my best friends in high school was Hindu Indian, and her family had a (white) Christmas tree every year. They just thought it was fun. Mileage varies, as always. It's all about what makes you comfortable.
no subject
Date: Tue, Dec. 26th, 2006 04:09 pm (UTC)I just read an interview in the local supermarket magazine with a Sikh family, about how they do Christmas - they have no idea why they celebrate Xmas because they are, duh, Sikhs: they just like it. The interview has a recipe for Grandma's special curried Christmas Eve potatoes.
Personally, I am a pagan who just celebrated Solstice and Christmas as well - hell, I'd celebrate Chanukah and Diwali if I didn't feel I might be treading on other people's cultural toes. I wouldn't go quite as far as the local council here in England who has suggested that we all amalgamate it into one big month-long festival and call it Winterval, but it's probably heading that way.
If anyone of any other persuasion wants to celebrate Solstice, I'd say bring it on: we're all making it up as we go along anyway. Paganism is a revivalist, Romantic sub-culture. We have no idea how the ancient Druids celebrated Solstice, or even, really, if they did.