Reply to we're Jewish, 7yo daughter wants advent calendar

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why can't you just say "No, that's for people who celebrate Christmas, and we don't believe in that"?  Does nobody say no to their kids anymore? [/quote]

Ever read the Philip Roth short story, "The Conversion of the Jews"?  American Jews have long had a hard time saying no to their children, and this has often been tied in to assimilation issues. [/quote]

Ah, yes, of course, Philip Roth, the obvious spokesperson of American Jews. [/quote]

Not a spokesman, but a really insightful observer of the social and moral conditions of American Jews at the time.

I take it no one else here has read the short story then.   [/quote]

I've read it.  You're basically saying if you let your kid open a chocolate advent calendar, they will spiral into a downward fall of conversion because you didn't say no to having it in the house.  I see that story more as a lesson to not stop your child from questioning and to have better answers.  The rabbi and the mother tried to control the child's thoughts and squelch questions by yielding power over him.  By stating some info but not explaining why or why not it was important.  So of course he goes through the conflicting feelings of what is being taught to him and what the majority religion preaches to the masses.

If anything, it seems like this story shows more need to not make everything regarding other traditions forbidden because they'll just continue to question the validity of the decision that you've made for them.  But I can also see how you would view this as more of an opening of the floodgates that can lead to confusion and dwindling of faith.

This isn't a strictly Jewish confliction, many minority religions and cultures face similar issues when grappling with assimilation into American culture. What American customs and traditions to take on, what traditional family customs and traditions to hold on to.  How much, if any, of the Christmas and Easter cultural celebrations to bring into the family, how much is too much if we do say yes to some of it.  How to distinguish what is cultural from what is religious.  How to help our kids not lose their religious or cultural identity.  My guess is this is why the OP asked the statement in a more broader sense, but maybe I'm wrong and OP will come back and tell us all to shut up if we are not Jewish.
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