Image by Getty Images

A group of far-right Jewish activists protested outside the Jerusalem YMCA over an event they believed encouraged Jewish children to decorate Christmas trees.

Members of Lehava, a group in Israel that opposes Arab-Jewish coexistence, claimed that Sunday’s event decorating the trees was targeting Jewish children. The event was intended for Jerusalem Christians.

“The appeal was in Hebrew this year, and meant for all of Jerusalem’s children, especially the Jewish ones,” a Lehava member said, according to Haaretz.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The group gathered outside the YMCA building chanting “The Arabs won’t defeat us with knifes, and the Christians won’t buy us with presents,” Israel National News reported. “Jews want a hanukkiah [menorah], not a fir tree,” the group shouted.

Lehava leader Benzi Gopstein reportedly was at the protest.

“It is inconceivable that at a time when there are daily attacks in Jerusalem, a gathering is held that is entirely an attempt to convert Jews,” Gopstein said at the event, according to Haaretz.

Lehava is no stranger to controversy. In August, members protested against the Jerusalem gay pride parade. Last year, they also protested against a marriage between an Israeli Muslim man and a Jewish woman.

In October, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said he was considering outlawing the organization for inciting violence, Haaretz reported.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount