As Yogi Berra said when advised that the mayor of Dublin was a Jew: “Only in America!”. Bonus: without using the Internet, name some of the Jewish composers who have written classic Christmas Carols. I will give you Irving Berlin to start out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63WQj73BR2U
To my great-grandfather who moved out of France possibly due to the anti-Semitic climate. He fled to a country that was much better than France. . . Mexico.
To great-grandpa Flores!
I remember as a seven year old asking my parents to get a Christmas tree. They finally did, calling it a Channukah Bush. But I still felt left out.
One of my Jewish friends always asked his parents to be taken to see Santa and they did. He grew up familiar with Christmas rituals, and loved them, which came in handy as he ultimately married a Christian. One of my Christian friends, as he grew up. would take advantage of always going to visit a Jewish friend and take part in their family Hanukkah meal. The father of the family, a Marine reservist, used to tell the story of the Maccabees with an explanation of their rebellion with all the military strategy of guerilla warfare in the time of the Maccabees thrown in. Most of the family looked bored, but my friend, a future Marine Colonel, was enthralled. He ultimately married a daughter of that family.
My mom: “What would you say if someone said ‘Happy Hanukkah’?”
Me: “I’d say thank you, especially since that’s awesome.”
mom: “….what?”
Me: “Hey, the Maccabees were total B.A.s! They took on a super-power nation and WON.”
Mom: “…I don’t think that’s quite what they’re celebrating.”
Me: “Well, yeah, one day’s oil lasting eight days is important too, but it wouldn’t have matter if they hadn’t won.”
Mom: “…I don’t think that’s quite what they’re celebrating.”
Me: “Well, yeah, one day’s oil lasting eight days is important too, but it wouldn’t have matter if they hadn’t won.”
Yeah. What the Maccabees accomplished was close to a military miracle. Defeat one Seleucid army? OK, anyone can have an off day. The Maccabees succeeded in a struggle against the odds in a lop-sided contest lasting decades, and maintained their independence until the Romans under Pompey took Jerusalem in 63 BC. The cry of Mattathias who started the revolt echoes down the centuries:
Let he who is zealous for the Law follow me!