On “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”, an adolescent Rebecca Bunch refers to herself as “half-Christmas.” In a show full of spot-on moments, this rang especially true to me, for reasons that shall, I hope, become clear. Secular Jewishness, at least in the United States, is grounded in one annual non-act: the non-celebration of Christmas. Yes, some Jews celebrate…
I am a Jew by choice, I was raised a Muslim, and my mother is an ordained Baptist minister. One might think that I would encounter religious conflict with my family on all fronts. In fact, people are often incredulous at the ease with which I can navigate through these three Abrahamic faiths. Perhaps, because…
Like almost every other Jewish Holiday, Hanukkah is a celebration of the fact that non-Jews tried to destroy Jews, but they failed. Also: Let’s eat! At its core, Hanukkah is about a fight against total Jewish assimilation into the prevailing culture of the day. So how do American Jews celebrate this festival that commemorates our…
A commenter to my earlier post about Natalie Portman getting her first Christmas tree writes: “This is what the Forward loves, Jews that celebrate Christmas. Shame on her, a Solomon Schechter graduate who celebrates that holiday and desires a tree. The Forward hates Ivanka because she conve[r]ted to Modern Orthodoxy Judaism and [is] raising her…
On “The Tonight Show” last night, Natalie Portman filled in Jimmy Fallon on her plans for this year’s overlapping Christmas and Hanukkah, a calendar coincidence Portman called “really nice.” As she told Fallon, her family celebrates Christmas with her in-laws and Hanukkah with her side of the family. This year, it’s going to be one…
If you’re planning on celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah this year, there’s really only one thing you need to buy. Yup, for all you fans of “The OC,” pull a Seth Cohen and don this Santa themed yarmulke. It’ll make for an excellent start to Chrismukkah. Do you have any other hilarious Chrismukkah gift ideas? Send…
Christmas and Hanukkah are fast approaching—and for those of you who celebrate both holidays, boy do we have some presents for you. Here’s a few of the best Chrismukkah gifts that the internet has to offer. Etsy, $50.00 Etsy, $9.50. Zazzle, $22.30 Etsy, $16.00 Etsy, $20.00
This year’s overlap of the Jewish and Gregorian calendars has landed Hanukkah directly on top of Christmas. While also inspiring many pithy mashup titles, this has helped illustrate a truth that undercuts one of the polite fictions of Jewish life in America: that Hanukkah would look anything like how we celebrate it today if Christmas…
איידל מלובֿיצקי איז געבוירן און דערצויגן געוואָרן בײַ אַ חסידישער סלאָנימער משפּחה אין ווין, עסטרײַך.
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