Don't compete with Christmas
Sunday, December 17, 2006
By YITZHAK J. MILLER
[Note: The following op-ed was written in response to the Riverside “Festival of Lights Holiday Extravaganza” where a national debate erupted after the skating rink dj was told to “turn off the Christmas music” lest figure skater Sasha Cohen—Jewish—be offended during her skating exhibition. It also occurred immediately after the hubbub at Tacoma airport over a Rabbi’s demand that a menorah be placed next to the Christmas Tree.]
Come Thanksgiving, like most rabbis, I start to get "the question" at Temple Beth El: "What do we do about Christmas?"
Jewish frustrations abound -- from school drama performances full of Christmas themes, to Christmas music piped into the mall, to lights on all the neighbors' houses. Being a Jew in America during December often brings the urge to flee the country (or at least run to the nearest deli). "We need something to compete with Christmas!" is the natural reaction. "Let's use Hanukkah!"
Problem is, no matter how you try to build it up, Hanukkah just isn't a major Jewish holiday. "I Have a Little Dreidel" is not melodiously comparable to Handel's "Messiah." Lighting a candelabra full of oversized birthday candles is nice, but we must admit that it does not quite produce the same effect as flashing, well-flocked spruce trees (it does save on electricity, though).
And commemorating a relatively small military victory by a group of renegade priests in the outlying reaches of the Greek Empire does not compare theologically to celebrating the birth of the one who is supposedly God's own son.
So, Jews, what should we do to "compete with Christmas?" Answer: Don't! The spirit and religious intention of Christmas are beautiful. Enjoy them! Go figure skating in Riverside with Sasha Cohen, Christmas carols and all. Enjoy the beautiful displays of the "Festival of Lights" (great name for a holiday celebration, by the way).
And then, come spring, invite your friends to your house to celebrate Passover and rejoice in the incredible blessings of freedom that it symbolizes in retelling the story of the exodus from Egypt. Come summer, honor Shavuot and be in awe of the beauty and longevity of monotheistic tradition as we commemorate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
In the fall, spend some serious days during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, reflecting on the value of life and choices made. Invite friends to dine in your Sukkah on the Sukkot holiday. The major holidays of Judaism -- now those are worth celebrating!
With so much beauty and so much depth in the major holidays of the Jewish tradition, we have no reason to be Scrooge-like about Christmas. Rejoice with your neighbors during their season of joy, and invite them to be with you during yours. And as for Christmas trees in airports? Don't get me started...
Yitzhak Miller is Rabbi at Riverside Temple Beth El.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/localviews/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_18_hanukkah_loc.3688d34.html
