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What Do Jews Do on Christmas?
http://www.jewfaq.org/xmas.htm ^

Posted on 12/24/2011 10:14:49 PM PST by JoeProBono

Christmas is not a Jewish holiday. Many Christians think of Christmas as an American holiday, a secular holiday or a cultural holiday, but most Jews today do not think of Christmas that way. According to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey, 82% of Jewish households never have a Christmas tree (and the idea of a "Chanukkah bush" is mostly a joke, not anything anybody takes seriously). The same percentage was found in a 2000 survey by the AJC, though I'm sure that survey skewed toward the more Jewishly-involved. Even among those who are intermarried, only half have a Christmas tree in the home and only 75% give Christmas presents (see Intermarriage and Jewish Journeys). A 2007 survey by InterfaithFamily.com found that only 37% of interfaith families that have decided to raise the children Jewish have a tree in the home. It has become a cliché to talk about the "December Dilemma," the problems that Jewish parents face when their children become jealous of the presents and the fanfare of Christmas, or when interfaith couples must decide what to do for the December holidays.

Many Jews (even highly assimilated Jews) are uncomfortable about Christmas. We don't object to Christians celebrating Christmas, but we don't particularly want to celebrate it ourselves, and there is enormous social pressure to celebrate Christmas, whether we want to or not. One Jewish writer said it's like being a man in the lingerie department: you feel like you don't belong there. Another Jewish writer said, "just try telling a Christmas enthusiast that the creche in front of your post office makes you uneasy; suddenly, 'frosty' describes more than just the snowman." Many secular Christians have told me that Christmas is my holiday too, and some of them get very angry or even nasty when I tell them that I don't want to celebrate it, calling me "Grinch" or "Scrooge." ......

Go out for Chinese food Many Jews go out for Chinese food on Christmas. In fact, Justice Elena Kagan mentioned this in her Supreme Court confirmation hearings: when a senator asked her where she was on Christmas, she said, "You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant." Someone even wrote a song about Jews eating Chinese Food On Christmas. The Chinese do not celebrate Christmas any more than we do, so most Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas. In Philadelphia and New York, there are several kosher-certified Chinese restaurants to choose from, so that even the most observant Jew can eat Chinese on Christmas............


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To: martin_fierro

My sweet little Jewish son was tracking Santa on NORAD tonight. He loves Santa and is ok that he doesn’t come to our house, but still wants to see where he is. So cute.


61 posted on 12/24/2011 11:45:19 PM PST by Yaelle (Excuse the mobile device errors please.)
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To: JoeProBono
One of them wrote The Christmas Song - "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire / Jack Frost nipping at your nose..." - Mel Torme. Dashed it off in 40 minutes, couldn't figure out what the fuss was all about. I think he got it.
62 posted on 12/24/2011 11:53:23 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Mike Darancette

Yes! I’m not the only other person that likes to use mustard!!!

:-P


63 posted on 12/24/2011 11:56:39 PM PST by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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To: LyinLibs

“They pray to be forgiven for helping elect 0bama”

Yes. Godliness does not equate with Idiocy.


64 posted on 12/25/2011 12:06:12 AM PST by Carthego delenda est
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To: JoeProBono

Okay this is really retarded, but...

All I Want for Christmas Is... Jews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8LmMtScH3g


65 posted on 12/25/2011 12:13:31 AM PST by beaversmom
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To: JoeProBono

The same thing non-Jews do on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Succos, Passover, etc.-—NOTHING. Ain’t my holiday, so why is it relevant to me? Neither is Ramadan, Tet, or any other non-Jewish holiday. Of course, I wish everyone a good holiday, whatever it is that they are celebrating.


66 posted on 12/25/2011 12:14:21 AM PST by EinNYC
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To: EinNYC

The same thing non-Jews do on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Succos, Passover, etc.-—NOTHING. Ain’t my holiday, so why is it relevant to me? Neither is Ramadan, Tet, or any other non-Jewish holiday. Of course, I wish everyone a good holiday, whatever it is that they are celebrating.

IBTZ? or Christmas Compassion?


67 posted on 12/25/2011 12:19:33 AM PST by Carthego delenda est
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To: nickcarraway

That’s great!


68 posted on 12/25/2011 12:20:53 AM PST by beaversmom
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To: JoeProBono

Dennis Prager
December 15, 2010
A Yeshiva boy and Christmas
http://www.jewishjournal.com/dennis_prager/article/a_yeshiva_boy_and_christmas_20101215/


69 posted on 12/25/2011 12:25:22 AM PST by beaversmom
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To: Carthego delenda est
I grew up in the Midwest. There was no Jewish school to attend, so I went to public schools. I remember the Xmas holiday season, so full of "love" for your fellow man. I was kicked out of music class into the hall for refusing to sing a religious Xmas song (I don't mean "Jingle Bells" or the like). I was told that I killed J.C., and that all Jews should be killed to pay for this. I was told that my skin would have made a great lampshade and that "Hitler knew what to do with you people" (this by a teacher there!). That teacher also went, "Sniff, sniff, I smell gas" whenever I passed him in the hall. There was tremendous pressure put on me to honor a holiday which had nothing to do with me.

I utterly refused to capitulate, no matter what the consequences. Had it been today, these people would all have been up on charges.

I am overjoyed to celebrate my own holidays, which I do not attempt to proselytize to anyone not Jewish, and I am happy to see people of other faiths enjoying their own holidays.

To each their own, that's what I say. Thank G-d America is a place of religious freedom.

70 posted on 12/25/2011 12:41:18 AM PST by EinNYC
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To: JoeProBono

I think if I were invited to a Jewish celebration, I’d go. And if I knew more about their holidays, I just might celebrate that too. But I guess being a Christian, that would not make it uncomfortable. Now if I were to be asked to a Muslim holiday celebration, I’d have to think twice.


71 posted on 12/25/2011 12:52:14 AM PST by dragonblustar (Allah Ain't So Akbar!)
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To: mamelukesabre

Sad, but true, you can go thru all the Christmas holidays, (which should be holy days) without any focus on a Saviour, are any thought of worship.

I’m closing in on being 78, and I remember so many Christmas’s and few was really about the birth of Jesus Christ.

Here is what I still love to read:

“But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying, Abba Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:3-7)
[you can substitute children or daughters for sons]

“And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16-17)

“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17)


72 posted on 12/25/2011 12:53:40 AM PST by LetMarch (If a man knows the right way to live, and does not live it, there is no greater coward. (Anonymous)
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To: EinNYC
"I was told that I killed J.C., and that all Jews should be killed to pay for this. I was told that my skin would have made a great lampshade and that "Hitler knew what to do with you people" (this by a teacher there!). That teacher also went, "Sniff, sniff, I smell gas" whenever I passed him in the hall. There was tremendous pressure put on me to honor a holiday which had nothing to do with me."

OMG..that's ridiculous. There's a flipping psycho on every corner looking for an excuse to terrorize a little kid. That jerk didn't need a savior..he needed a straight jacket. Hate this world sometimes. Thanks for sharing this story. People need to get out of their unicorns and rainbows world sometimes and think about what some of their fellow humans are doing in the name of conformity and "religion".

73 posted on 12/25/2011 12:57:32 AM PST by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......? Embrace a ruler today.)
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To: EinNYC

How tragic for even our Saviour was a Jew; and He taught “Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22-23)

How ironic, we find at the beginning of the church, no gentiles we allowed, only Jews. Now it has reversed, and it should not be so.

The saviour of the world, was to all the world; to “whosoever” and any fool that is a “Christian snob” does not know Him. If anyman does not have the Spirit of Christ, is none of His.” (Romans 8:5-9)
Every Christian & Jew should read: “What the Church Owes the Jew,” a wonderful book written by a pastor in upper state New York.


74 posted on 12/25/2011 1:09:13 AM PST by LetMarch (If a man knows the right way to live, and does not live it, there is no greater coward. (Anonymous)
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To: LetMarch
I've found that most of the conformity police are not even really Christians..literally. They don't go to church at all or even celebrate the holidays in a Christian manner... they just want "order" in their world. That said..I had a Protestant "Minister" literally gesture people to move out of his way so he could "evil eye" and stare me down when I wore a Celtic cross that I'd gotten from Ireland as a souvenir. So I'm not saying that bullying doesn't happen in the churches as well.

But mostly I think the crazies (of which there are many)like to come out and play when they know they can get away with it and they like to use the holidays to go crazy on anyone who isn't playing along with their idea of a perfect world. And sad to say that in this incidence, a lot of Christians just look the other way.

It does remind me of moderate Muslims looking the other way when extremists strong arm people. Wow..I'm starting to sound like Rosie O'Donald. God help me. Of course we are not talking about anyone being killed here like with Islamic terrorists..so this does need to be put into perspective. But terrorizing little kids breeds hatred for a lifetime.

75 posted on 12/25/2011 1:38:12 AM PST by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......? Embrace a ruler today.)
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To: LetMarch
Salvation is of the Jews. Says so, right in the book.

Merry Christmas, if I may say so with no offense.

76 posted on 12/25/2011 2:20:30 AM PST by 7MMmag
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To: JoeProBono

Good looking sandwich.

We are not having turkey this year. We decided to have ribeye steaks. Made a good buy on a couple of whole slabs a couple of months ago. I sliced and wrapped them and put them in the freezer.

The “great Texas cattle sell-off”, due to the 100+ year drought, will take years to recover from, Look for steaks and beef in general to be much higher next year.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, my FRiend.


77 posted on 12/25/2011 3:08:32 AM PST by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
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To: JoeProBono

This Christian is going to a Chinese restaurant at about 1PM today!


78 posted on 12/25/2011 3:09:51 AM PST by WKUHilltopper (And yet...we continue to tolerate this crap...)
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To: JoeProBono

Christmas for Jews?

Think about this, the best friends that Israel has in the world are U.S. Christians.

When the real battle comes, we will both be standing together. Like it or not, the destiny of Israel is forever locked with the destiny of the U.S.

God Bless Israel, God Bless the U.S., and God Bless Texas.


79 posted on 12/25/2011 3:17:05 AM PST by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
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To: JoeProBono

I remember once reading about a small town somewhere here in the U.S., where local Jews volunteered at hospitals and (if qualified) took shifts at fire and police stations so thier Christian friends could have their special day off.

Would we all could be so kind and loving.

Merry Christmas to all.


80 posted on 12/25/2011 3:21:28 AM PST by ixtl ( You live and learn. Or you don't live long.)
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