One of the most ridiculous articles I’ve ever seen, “The Five Best Christmas Books For Jewish Kids,” has been featured on Tablet. Subtitled “Using literature to help your spawn feel less left out,” it’s obvious that the author has no respect for this important topic.
She begins by recalling that she was “super envious” of kids who celebrated Christmas when she was young, but now she feels, “Rather than wishing for more public acknowledgment of Hanukkah, I’d prefer less public celebration of Christmas.”
Ok, so she wants less celebrating and this will be accomplished by recommending that Jewish children read books about Christmas. Talk about illogical!
As for her book list, it includes such gems as My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories which is an anthology of stories about “diversity, characters of color, the teensiest smidgen of horror, gay boys, magical realism, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and fantasy.” (No, I have no idea what that means and I doubt anyone else does either.)
Another charmer is Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein. This book features a young girl who repeatedly writes to Santa, begging him to come to her house, even though her parents inform her that will never happen. Nothing they say matters, and Rachel is only “comforted” after learning that her Muslim, Chinese, and Hindu classmates are also excluded.
Strangely, the author of the book post loves this, claiming, “You know what? Hanukkah is not as awesome as Christmas. Which is as it should be! Parents: Teach your kids about false equivalencies. Teach them that life can disappoint; acknowledge that sometimes you just have to sit with your discomfort.”
Absolutely awful, terrible, misguided advice from someone who is clueless.
I don’t understand why Jewish kids—or adults, for that matter—need to feel sad, bad, unhappy, and/or envious over Christmas. It is NOT our holiday. There is nothing wrong with Christians enjoying Christmas, but we are not supposed to be involved. We have our own holidays; we have our own traditions; we have our own faith. Anyone who whines and pines over Christmas is Jewish by birth and Secular by choice. Those of us who practice Judaism as a religion do not wish for Christmas. Hanukkah is not a substitute, there is no such thing as a “Hanukkah Bush” or any other quasi-Christmas type of nonsense.
“We can’t help what we feel,” the author laments about her inability to enjoy Christmas. Well, personally, I don’t feel that way and most Jews don’t either. We don’t covet that which is not ours; rather, we revel in what makes us unique. There are Jewish holidays all year-round that we can enjoy. December 25 is just another normal day to us.
Instead of envying Christmas, the author should learn about her own traditions and embrace those. Stop trying to be someone else. Accept that being Jewish does mean being different and that’s ok. Jewish kids need Hanukkah books, not books about Christmas!
I’m supposed to teach my kids about “gay boys” and horror and Kwanza but public Hanukkah celebrations are wrong? That author is a certified lunatic. I hope she’s childless.
I wouldn’t say she’s insane, but she’s definitely misinformed.
Well and thoughtfully said.
Thank you for your kind words.
Great post. I would suppose if the kids asked what Christmas is about, there would be nothing wrong with telling them. It would be a curiosity since it so commercialized now and a way to explain another religion. I agree it wouldn’t be appropriate to give them books about it because kids are impressionable and without a parent’s guidance they could misinterpret things.
Oddly on facebook (and I suppose other sites) I am seeing more and more Jewish people who celebrate Jewish holidays also celebrating Christmas. It strikes me as strange. I know their children identify as Jewish and are oftentimes in Jewish (faith based) schools yet here they are right after doing a Happy Hanukkah holding up Christmas gifts. That I do not understand.
There is nothing wrong with learning about others as thats how you become perhaps more empathetic and understanding but these types of books you cited would be way off base.
All Jewish parents explain what Christmas is to their children. It’s impossible to avoid the subject. The Jews who claim to celebrate both sets of holidays are usually Interfaith families. Gwyneth Paltrow is the poster child for this confusion. She is half Jewish by heritage, first married to a Christian and now married to a Jew. According to her, the entire clan gets together to create a mishmash of Hanukkah and Christmas – decorating a tree and a menorah, etc. It makes no sense and the kids must have no idea what to think. I truly believe you can’t have two religions in one house. You can Jewish, you can be Christian, but you can’t be both simultaneously.
I may have to disagree with you on the two religions in one home. My husband and I come from two different faiths. Growing up my father conformed. When I got married my husband would not and I respected that. He grew up in a VERY religious home. We have our occasional battle with religion however, I do not push it. We celebrate both. My children are not confused at all. It is normal for them.
If that works for your family, that is fine. I can’t imagine two people who both feel very strongly about their own faith finding a compromise, but it could happen if each person wasn’t very religious. Personally, I couldn’t do it, but every family is different.