Jews with Christmas/Holiday trees

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14:45, you sound like you have an ax to grind.

I’m Jewish and we enjoy our Christmas tree, which was stolen from paganism. Moreover, we don’t view as a birthday nod to Jesus, who apparently was born in the summertime anyway.

You sound like someone desperately trying to justify celebrating a Christian holiday. Don’t forget your crèche!

[Anonymous]

The tree and Santa and elf on the shelf are very pagan activities. Most true Christians celebrate the holiday with Advent calendar and scriptures. A tree is a pretty decoration but the pagan roots could be worrisome for those who are practicing Jews of faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, you actually listed intermarriage as one of the sins of the century

Why is this a shock to you? Jews are all about self preservation. I don't understand why so many Christians, Muslims, and others get their feelings hurt when they discover that Jews don't have any love for them. Jews are all about Jews. Advancing Jews, marrying Jews, upholding Jews, etc. Christians and other outsiders don't coincide with Jews. I don't care how nice or cordial a Jew is towards you. You have to realize that its all about them and them alone. Jews are taught for the time that they are born that it is them against the world. Intermarriage is a threat to Jews and many will disown relatives or ostracize those who don't come into the fold. Intermarriage goes against the tribal mentality and we can't have any of that. Do all Jews think this way? Of course not. However, many do and their opposition to intermarriage is really about outsiders invading their tribe and stealing one of their own away. Some Jews feel like everytime a Jewish person intermarries it negatively impacts preserving their culture.

This post is perhaps one of the most ignorant, hideous, and deceitful I’ve seen on DCUM. There is not a community on earth that does more for the welfare of humankind than The Jewish People. Israel is a tiny country but always one of the first to arrive at the site of disaster with food, supplies and medical support. Jewish charities around the world support every issue under the sun- wherever you’re pro or against you will find a Jewish based charity providing aid.

I will give you that intermarriage is a worry but that is simply because over time, intermarriage often leads to abandoning Judiasm. Survival of our people is paramount to us. But to make the statements above, you are not a person with any credibility on this issue.

[Anonymous]

I was unaware that pagans partook in elf on the shelf. Was Sponge Bob also pagan? He’s got that Celtic je ne sais quoi about him...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand if you’re a blended family but if you’re an observant Jew I find it a bit vulgar that you’d display what is quite obviously become a Christian symbol of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Other than some vacuous feelings of envy, what is the real motivation to have a celebratory tree? Why aren’t traditional Jewish celebratory symbols sufficient? Sometimes a tree isn’t simply a tree.

I don't think there are really any observant non-blended Jewish families that have Christmas trees.

To the bolded, it's a symbol of the coming of Santa and gifts. Most kids don't make any connection between the tree and the birth of Jesus. Most kids don't make any connection to Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Christmas in America is a commercial annual event marked by vulgar materialism--no real spiritual connection to religion.

You know that Santa is SAINT Nicholas, right? As in.... a saint?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:14:45, you sound like you have an ax to grind.

I’m Jewish and we enjoy our Christmas tree, which was stolen from paganism. Moreover, we don’t view as a birthday nod to Jesus, who apparently was born in the summertime anyway.

You sound like someone desperately trying to justify celebrating a Christian holiday. Don’t forget your crèche!

You sound like someone who just got a poke in a sore spot. But keep spreading that Christian good will and generosity of Christmas spirit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand if you’re a blended family but if you’re an observant Jew I find it a bit vulgar that you’d display what is quite obviously become a Christian symbol of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Other than some vacuous feelings of envy, what is the real motivation to have a celebratory tree? Why aren’t traditional Jewish celebratory symbols sufficient? Sometimes a tree isn’t simply a tree.

How many times do you need this explained to you?

How much evidence do you need to see that this is not true?

Your incorrect, and likely intentionally dishonest assertion will be shown to be wrong again and again.

An evergreen tree in the house at the winter solstice is a traditionally pagan practice that predates the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ. If anyone should "find it a bit vulgar", it is pagans who should be angry that you are trying to mis-appropriate their symbol for your purposes.

Yes, it was once a pagan symbol, and now it's primarily a symbol of Christmas. It was appropriated, for sure. If you're arguing that you're having a tree and making it a hannukah tree and you're going to make it part of your yearly hannukah celebration and work it into hannukah lore for generations to come (maybe the menorahs were like the lights on the trees, and you only light some of the lights each night for the nights of hannukah?), than I'd say fair is fair, go for it. But you're not. You're just putting up a Christmas tree. It's weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:14:45, you sound like you have an ax to grind.

I’m Jewish and we enjoy our Christmas tree, which was stolen from paganism. Moreover, we don’t view as a birthday nod to Jesus, who apparently was born in the summertime anyway.

You sound like someone desperately trying to justify celebrating a Christian holiday. Don’t forget your crèche!

You sound like someone who just got a poke in a sore spot. But keep spreading that Christian good will and generosity of Christmas spirit!

Yes, making fun of someone else's religious celebration and basically mocking it by putting up a "Christmas tree" when you have no intention of celebrating Christmas, and yelling loud for all to hear that the Christmas tree symbol was just stolen from the pagans anyways (true- yes- but totally irrelevant in today's culture, be honest)- is poking someone in a sore spot. Congratulations? You've really got the hang of that holiday spirit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, you actually listed intermarriage as one of the sins of the century

Why is this a shock to you? Jews are all about self preservation. I don't understand why so many Christians, Muslims, and others get their feelings hurt when they discover that Jews don't have any love for them. Jews are all about Jews. Advancing Jews, marrying Jews, upholding Jews, etc. Christians and other outsiders don't coincide with Jews. I don't care how nice or cordial a Jew is towards you. You have to realize that its all about them and them alone. Jews are taught for the time that they are born that it is them against the world. Intermarriage is a threat to Jews and many will disown relatives or ostracize those who don't come into the fold. Intermarriage goes against the tribal mentality and we can't have any of that. Do all Jews think this way? Of course not. However, many do and their opposition to intermarriage is really about outsiders invading their tribe and stealing one of their own away. Some Jews feel like everytime a Jewish person intermarries it negatively impacts preserving their culture.

I'm not Jewish, and I find the overt antisemitism here disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, you actually listed intermarriage as one of the sins of the century

Why is this a shock to you? Jews are all about self preservation. I don't understand why so many Christians, Muslims, and others get their feelings hurt when they discover that Jews don't have any love for them. Jews are all about Jews. Advancing Jews, marrying Jews, upholding Jews, etc. Christians and other outsiders don't coincide with Jews. I don't care how nice or cordial a Jew is towards you. You have to realize that its all about them and them alone. Jews are taught for the time that they are born that it is them against the world. Intermarriage is a threat to Jews and many will disown relatives or ostracize those who don't come into the fold. Intermarriage goes against the tribal mentality and we can't have any of that. Do all Jews think this way? Of course not. However, many do and their opposition to intermarriage is really about outsiders invading their tribe and stealing one of their own away. Some Jews feel like everytime a Jewish person intermarries it negatively impacts preserving their culture.

Boy, with views like that I can't imagine how Jews might feel it's them against the rest of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:14:45, you sound like you have an ax to grind.

I’m Jewish and we enjoy our Christmas tree, which was stolen from paganism. Moreover, we don’t view as a birthday nod to Jesus, who apparently was born in the summertime anyway.

You sound like someone desperately trying to justify celebrating a Christian holiday. Don’t forget your crèche!

This!

[Anonymous]

It’s a crutch for self hating Jews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So WASPs get yelled out for culturally appropriating anything, anytime ever...but Jews can go ahead and appropriate a part of a religious holiday they don't celebrate, and it's all good?

Got it.

The irony of this, when Christians literally stole the holiday of Christmas and the tree...

Ah, “WASPs” you’re the gift that keeps on giving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand if you’re a blended family but if you’re an observant Jew I find it a bit vulgar that you’d display what is quite obviously become a Christian symbol of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Other than some vacuous feelings of envy, what is the real motivation to have a celebratory tree? Why aren’t traditional Jewish celebratory symbols sufficient? Sometimes a tree isn’t simply a tree.

I don't think there are really any observant non-blended Jewish families that have Christmas trees.

To the bolded, it's a symbol of the coming of Santa and gifts. Most kids don't make any connection between the tree and the birth of Jesus. Most kids don't make any connection to Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Christmas in America is a commercial annual event marked by vulgar materialism--no real spiritual connection to religion.

You know that Santa is SAINT Nicholas, right? As in.... a saint?

Which has what to do with your so called birth of Jesus? Which didn’t even happen in December.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand if you’re a blended family but if you’re an observant Jew I find it a bit vulgar that you’d display what is quite obviously become a Christian symbol of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Other than some vacuous feelings of envy, what is the real motivation to have a celebratory tree? Why aren’t traditional Jewish celebratory symbols sufficient? Sometimes a tree isn’t simply a tree.

How many times do you need this explained to you?

How much evidence do you need to see that this is not true?

Your incorrect, and likely intentionally dishonest assertion will be shown to be wrong again and again.

An evergreen tree in the house at the winter solstice is a traditionally pagan practice that predates the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ. If anyone should "find it a bit vulgar", it is pagans who should be angry that you are trying to mis-appropriate their symbol for your purposes.

Yes, it was once a pagan symbol, and now it's primarily a symbol of Christmas. It was appropriated, for sure. If you're arguing that you're having a tree and making it a hannukah tree and you're going to make it part of your yearly hannukah celebration and work it into hannukah lore for generations to come (maybe the menorahs were like the lights on the trees, and you only light some of the lights each night for the nights of hannukah?), than I'd say fair is fair, go for it. But you're not. You're just putting up a Christmas tree. It's weird.

+1. I don’t really understand the motivation for a Jewish family wanting a tree. Is it to assimilate? To make the children happy? Why aren’t traditional Jewish celebratory symbols sufficient? Is it as base as simply wanting more, more, more? Is it tree envy? It just doesn’t make any sense to me and the obvious motives aren’t particulalry attractive but maybe I’m missing something.