Posted on 12/14/2020 8:44:28 AM PST by SJackson
I have questions about the New York Times’ parenting article, “Saying Goodbye to Hanukkah,” published on Dec. 4, 2020.
The piece was written by children’s book author Sarah Prager, a self-described non-Jewish woman whose Jewish father and Catholic mother raised her Unitarian. Throughout her life, she has never observed any Jewish holidays. She recounts how she (like the rest of her extended family) has chosen not to continue her family’s holiday tradition of eating latkes, lighting a menorah on Hanukkah, reciting Hebrew prayers (which, as she explains in her piece, she experienced as meaningless) and decorating their Christmas tree with Jewish symbols. She and her non-Jewish wife and their two non-Jewish children, she writes, will not be celebrating Hanukkah—only Christmas and Easter (though in a secular way), because that’s what her extended family celebrates.
I’m curious about the thinking that went into publishing that piece. I’m not offended by someone choosing not to celebrate a holiday from my religious tradition. And I’m not offended that the opinion was published. I am a fan of publishing controversial opinions. I just don’t get it. I need help understanding what important insight about this Jewish holiday, or about giving it up, warranted an article in the venerable New York Times.
Given the ideological leanings at the paper, I could almost understand the reasoning if the thesis of the piece had been about treating Hanukkah less as a religious observance than a form of what’s now called cultural or religious “appropriation” (the adoption of elements of a minority’s culture by members of a more dominant group). This particular appropriation doesn’t bother me. As long as it is done with a respectful intention, it’s fine with me for non-Jewish people (whether or not they have Jewish family members) to use Jewish stars on their Christmas trees, eat latkes, light menorahs or even say Hebrew prayers without understanding them or finding them meaningful. But strictly speaking, that is not a religious observance, even if it feels less “secular” than the other ways in which a person celebrates the holidays.
More to the point, it strikes me that if a writer had pitched an identical piece that substituted any other non-Christian religion for Judaism, it would have been received differently by the Times’ editors.
Imagine, for example, if the piece had revolved around a non-Hindu woman who was raised Unitarian by her Hindu father and Catholic mother and never celebrated any Hindu holidays. As a child, her family’s holiday traditions included, among other things, eating vegetable pakoras, lighting the oil lamps used in celebrating Diwali and decorating her family’s Christmas tree with images of Ganesha. Would the Times have thought she had the standing to write a piece about her choice not to celebrate Diwali with her two non-Hindu children and her ex-Catholic wife? And would the paper have published such a piece, titling it “Saying Goodbye to Diwali”?
If the answer is yes to both, then, although I still don’t understand the thinking, I have no problem with the choice to publish “Saying Goodbye to Hanukkah.” I suspect, however, that had such an alternate piece been suggested, it would have immediately been rejected as absurd. And that is what concerns me. A paper that is exquisitely sensitive to indignities suffered by people of almost every non-majority background is oddly insensitive to people from a particular one.
It’s not that I think that Jews (or anyone else) need to be treated with kid gloves. It’s a question of a double standard. When the New York Times treats Jews with less sensitivity than it treats members of other minority groups, it sends a message that there is something about Jews that is less deserving of concern and care.
Too easily, this double standard can descend toward anti-Semitism—something the Times can have trouble even recognizing. So I have questions.
I hope the paper of record has them, too.
How can she “say goodbye” to a tradition she never practiced in the first place? Sounds like an attention-seeker.
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So Sara, a Unitarian, and her non-Jewish wife have ceased to celebrate Chanukah. This is news to the NYT. I suppose they have to fill up editorial space. What else is there to write about? Election fraud? Hunter Biden? Better to pontificate about two Christians who no longer celebrate Chanukah, perhaps as a message to their liberal Jewish readers.
Could be. I can't imagine why her parents, Jewish father and Catholic mother raising her as Unitarian would have celebrated it in the first place. As to attention, she's a self described queer historian, not quite sure how that fits either. But it got her on the NYT editorial page.
Had the article been about any trendy pagan religion, the article would not have been published.
Had the article been about Islam the writer would have been fired.
Since the article was about Judaism it was published.
If the article had been about Christianity, it would have been on the front page on Christmas Eve...
Time for the annual NYT ¨attack a Jewish or Christian holiday” article. Their hit piece on Christmas is no doubt coming next week.
That said, this piece is really a reach. Usually it’s just the lesbian ‘rabbi’ presiding over some parody of a ceremony. I notice that they did manage to get a lesbian in there, of course, since this confused woman is supposedly married to another woman. Unless maybe one of them really identifies as a man?
Can you imagine an article about a white 3rd grade teacher titled “Saying Goodbye To Kwanzaa”?
Happy Number 11!
Adam Quark’s equivalent.
Disgusting. Two mentally ill atheist female perverts’ views. How many readers does the NYT still have?
Rest assured the NYT will have an article about Jewish families celebrating Christmas approaching Christmas eve. After all, it’s just a present holiday and everyone likes presents. All in the pursuit of demeaning religion. Judeo-Christian religion. As you note, a similar article about Islam would have consequences.
These days it’s all about Kwanzaa and Diwali.
We had a brief respite during the Trump term.
Before that it was Eid Al-Fitr under Grand Caliph Baraq.
The first paragraph says to me that this woman is so ****ed as to be utterly worthless.The opinions of worthless people mean less than nothing to me.
Then they came for Festivus-and then there was no one left to speak for me.
New York Times, The Home Depot, they all march to the same WOKE agenda. The Depot, headquartered in the snake pit that Atlanta GA has become, no doubt caved to Muslim activist groups who visited them and mailed them letters from their attorneys threatening lawsuits for discriminatory religious practices in its stores. Placing the corporation on notice the Christmas music it has always played over its PA system at Christmas is offensive to Muslims who practice Islam and shop its stores. So now the Christmas music is gone. Completely. No push-back from the Catholic Church on this or boycotting of the stores by Catholic do-it-your-self-ers or contractors. Nope. We all just lie down while the enemy disassembles us, bit by bit.
Both of them.
I’m guessing this story was published because it was a slow day for news. Why does it matter to the rest of us what holiday someone chooses not to celebrate?
Stopped reading there. No point in reading the ravings of an insane person.
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