Jews and Christmas
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/The_Jew%E2%80%99s_Christmas%2C_Isaac_outcasts_his_daughter_Leah.jpg/165px-The_Jew%E2%80%99s_Christmas%2C_Isaac_outcasts_his_daughter_Leah.jpg)
Throughout the history of
Background
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Jews and Judaism |
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One example of this phenomenon is
According to
Jewish activities on Christmas
Nittel Nacht
Nittel Nacht is a term used in historical Jewish literature for Christmas Eve.[8] On this night, segments of the Ashkenazi Jewish community and specifically Hasidic Jews historically abstained from the study of Torah.[5] This practice, which began in the early modern period, was accompanied by various other traditions on the same night including sexual abstinence, consumption of garlic, and social gatherings.[8] However, the practice was not accepted by the yeshivas of Lithuania, which maintained that Torah study should continue on Christmas Eve.[9]
In the United States
Chinese food
A widespread Christmas tradition among Jewish Americans consists of eating Chinese cuisine. The practice began as far back as the 19th century; the proximity of Jewish and Chinese American communities in Manhattan's Lower East Side helped start the tradition.[10] The earliest documented instance of Jewish people dining in Chinese restaurants dates to 1899, when the American Jewish Journal criticized Jews for eating in Chinese restaurants in violation of rabbinical kosher regulations.[11]
Today, the tradition has spread from New York to Jewish people across America.[12] One Chinatown restaurant in Chicago reported in 2004 that their number of reservations more than tripled from thirty on a normal night to nearly a hundred on Christmas—half of them Jewish. Another quipped that the year before, "I think we had the entire Jewish community here", with their 350-seat restaurant being completely booked on December 25.[12]
The tradition has been the subject of many comedic routines, including "Borscht Belt" comedians such as Jackie Mason and Buddy Hackett.[13] During Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham asked the judge during a rather tense exchange where she was on Christmas Day. Kagan replied, "You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant," causing the room to break into laughter. The Atlantic credited the televised exchange as the moment where the tradition transformed "from kitsch into codified custom".[10]
Many reasons for the tradition have been offered, including the fact that Chinese restaurants generally remain open on Christmas Day and that Chinese food rarely mixes meat and dairy, the latter of which is prohibited under kosher law. More broadly, the tradition symbolizes to many Jewish people a rejection of historical Christmas traditions and a feeling of commonality with those who are excluded from those traditions—neither Jewish nor Chinese people are intended[opinion][clarification needed] to celebrate Christmas, and this tradition unites them in their "otherness" concerning the holiday.[10][14]
Matzo Ball
The Matzo Ball is an annual party held on Christmas Eve in many major cities throughout the United States and Canada, directed toward Jewish singles in their 20s and 30s. The event was created to give Jews something to do on a night when they might otherwise be lonely or not have anything to do. Attendees may go to enjoy the dancing, find a short- or long-term partner, meet new people, hang out with friends, or because they would otherwise be lonely on Christmas Eve. There are several similar competing events, such as "The Ball" and "Schmooz-a-Palooza."[15][16][17]
Jewish celebration of Christmas
Chrismukkah
![A bush decorated with ornaments including a Jewish star](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Hanukkah_bush.jpg/220px-Hanukkah_bush.jpg)
The term Chrismukkah, a
A similar term in German, Weihnukka, is a portmanteau of Weihnachten and Chanukka.[19] In French, Hannoël combines Hanoucca with Noël.[20]
Traditions and items
Blending between the Christmas and Hanukkah traditions has resulted in various traditions and items specific to Chrismukkah or to the interaction between Hanukkah and Christmas. Christmas trees are sometimes decorated with symbols representing Judaism or Hanukkah; such a tree may be dubbed a "Chrismukkah tree" or "Hanukkah bush".[21]
Christmas songs written by Jews
Many popular
Relationship between Hanukkah and Christmas
Historical relationship
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/The_Maccabees_receive_their_father%27s_blessing.jpg/220px-The_Maccabees_receive_their_father%27s_blessing.jpg)
During the
Hanukkah was adopted by the Zionist movement because of its depiction of Jewish strength, masculinity, and political victory. In 1896, when Rabbi Moritz Güdemann visited Theodor Herzl and his family in Austria and saw that they were celebrating Christmas,[26] Güdemann convinced Herzl to remove the Christmas tree and celebrate Hanukkah instead. Herzl went on to write "The Menorah", an essay which argued that Jewish rejection of Christmas and celebration of Hanukkah was a core component of Jewish self-respect.[29]
In the early 20th century, the holiday provided an opportunity for American Jews and especially American Jewish women to "resolve the ambiguity of being an American Jew" and engage in Jewish practice during a season dominated by Christianity.[30]
Modern relationship
![A large Hanukkah menorah with a Christmas tree visible in the background](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Christmas_Hanukkah_decoration_Pariser_Platz_2020-12-11_04.jpg/220px-Christmas_Hanukkah_decoration_Pariser_Platz_2020-12-11_04.jpg)
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, traditionally a minor one, is considered important in the modern United States because it occurs during the Christmas and holiday season; many American Jews view it as a Jewish counterpart to Christmas.[31] Data suggest that Hanukkah's close temporal proximity to Christmas is what drives its modern popularity in the United States, and that American Jews may use Hanukkah to provide an alternative to Christmas for their children.[32] Some Jews and rabbis have objected to the increasing importance of the minor holiday, with the Women's League for Conservative Judaism arguing in 1990 that "any child who has built a sukkah will not feel deprived of trimming a [Christmas] tree" and that increased emphasis on Hanukkah was therefore not necessary.[33]
See also
- Christianity and Judaism
- Christmas and holiday season
- Christmas controversies
- Christmas in Israel
- Jews and Halloween
- The Chanukah Song
- The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
References
Citations
- ^ Barbu 2019, p. 186.
- ^ Mehta 2020, p. 3.
- ^ a b Barbu 2019, p. 187.
- ^ Barbu 2019, p. 188.
- ^ a b Shapiro 1999, p. 319.
- ^ Shapiro 1999, p. 320.
- ^ Shapiro 1999, p. 321.
- ^ a b Scharbach 2013, p. 340.
- ^ Shapiro 1999, p. 322.
- ^ a b c Chandler, Adam (December 23, 2014). "Why American Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Wong, Ashley (December 13, 2020). "Chinese food: The roots of a Jewish holiday tradition". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tuchman & Levine 1992, p. 2.
- ^ Wong, Ashley (December 13, 2020). "Chinese food: The roots of a Jewish holiday tradition". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Hwang, Kellie (December 18, 2014). "Dec. 24 is time to party at Mazelpalooza, Matzoball". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ Gresko, Jessica (December 24, 2006). "Dec. 24 Becomes Party Night for Jewish Singles". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Orenstein, Hannah (December 28, 2015). "What It's Like to Attend a Jewish Singles Dance on Christmas Eve". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ McCarthy, Michael (2004-12-16). "Have a merry little Chrismukkah". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2020-06-01. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- Jüdisches Museum Berlin (in German). 2005. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- ^ "A chacun son Hanoucca : David, 30 ans" [To each their own Hanukkah: David, 30 years old]. Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France (in French). 2018-12-07. Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ Zdanowicz, Christina; Grinberg, Emanuella (2012-12-14). "Celebrating Chrismukkah: Shalom stockings and Hanukkah bushes". CNN. Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ Markoe, Lauren (December 11, 2014). "Why Jews skipped Hanukkah and wrote the most beloved Christmas songs". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ Crawford, Trish (November 30, 2014). "Why so many Christmas songs were written by Jews". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- Vogue Magazine. Archivedfrom the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ Ashton 2013, p. 64.
- ^ a b Ashton 2013, p. 69.
- ^ Ashton 2013, p. 78–79.
- ^ Ashton 2013, p. 83.
- ^ Ashton 2013, p. 70.
- ^ Ashton 2013, p. 4.
- ^ Ashton 2013, p. 7.
Works cited
- Abramitzky, Ran; Einav, Liran; Rigbi, Oren (2010-06-01). "Is Hanukkah Responsive to Christmas?". S2CID 17782856.
- Ashton, Dianne (2013). Hanukkah in America: A History. New York: from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
- Barbu, Daniel (2019). "Feeling Jewish: Emotions, identity, and the Jews' inverted Christmas". In Tarantino, Giovanni; Zika, Charles (eds.). Feeling Exclusion: Religious Conflict, Exile and Emotions in Early Modern Europe. S2CID 240616108.
- Mehta, Samira K. (2020-06-09). "Christmas in the Room: Gender, Conflict, and Compromise in Multi-Religious Domestic Space". ISSN 2077-1444.
- Scharbach, Rebecca (2013). "The Ghost in the Privy: On the Origins of Nittel Nacht and Modes of Cultural Exchange". from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- Shapiro, Marc (1999). "Torah Study on Christmas Eve". from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- Tuchman, Gaye; Levine, Harry G. (1992). "New York Jews and Chinese Food: The Social Construction of an Ethnic Pattern". Contemporary Ethnography. 22: 382–407. .