(JTA) — Director and writer Jonathan Levine (“The Wackness,” “50/50”) may have grown up in Jew-centric Manhattan, yet he recalls feeling somewhat like an alien every Christmas. “I don’t think it was malicious,” Levine, 39, says in a telephone interview with JTA. “But, in a way, I felt like an outsider looking in at the party.”…
Who knew Jews did anything but eat Chinese and go to the movies on Christmas? Seth Rogen has other plans. “Made by Jews, is about Christmas, and opens on Thanksgiving,” Rogen posted about his new movie, “The Night Before,” on Facebook. Aforementioned Jews: Seth Rogen (Isaac) and Joseph Gordon Levitt (Ethan), and Anthony Mackie (Chris)…
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate issued new kashrut guidelines for hotels that are based solely on the food of an establishment and will not take into account other considerations. The guidelines were released last week following a petition by the Israeli NGO Hiddush-For Religious Freedom and Equality that threatened to appeal to the Supreme Court if the…
The Jewish community has long fretted over the so-called “December Dilemma,” in which Jewish kids are teased for not having Christmas trees and gifts from Santa. To paraphrase Kyle from “South Park,” it’s hard to be a Jew on Christmas, especially in a Christian-dominated society. Which is why you may be surprised to learn that…
An irate airline passenger who objected to ‘Merry Christmas’ greetings was reportedly booted off an American Airlines flight at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. “Don’t say ‘Merry Christmas,’” the grumpy traveler told flight attendants on the Dallas-bound flight on Thursday, the New York Post reported. The man, who was not named, was escorted off the flight…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Christians in Israel and throughout the world a Merry Christmas. In a videotaped message, Netanyahu noted that Christians throughout the Middle East are subject to persecution, except in Israel. “Christian communities across the Middle East are experiencing a particularly difficult time. They’re experiencing violence, persecution and fear,” Netanyahu said….
Lior Zaltzman Last week, I offered some homemade latkes to my upstairs neighbor, Caitrin Kiley. As she happily ate a few (with sour cream, for which she has a slight preference over apple sauce), she casually mentioned her family’s Christmas morning tradition. The Kileys, a Catholic family from Connecticut, have a longstanding routine. Assorted relatives…
Displaced Christians sell holiday crafts at a market in the Kurdish city of Erbil / Getty Images As a Jew, I’m not literally celebrating Christmas — it’s not my tradition. But I will spend the day celebrating the fact that Christians are proudly observing their traditions amid relentless persecution. This year has seen more global…
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