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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, thank you for this thread. We just moved to this country, and my kid just went to middle school here. First day she comes back and tells us that when her science teacher announced that in the end of the year they are going to build a ginger bread house as a science project. Immediately, the girl who was siting next to my daughter turned to her and told her that because she is Jewish, my daughter has to build a ginger bread house for her.

We all were so confused at home and laughed very hard. We are not Americans. We are Christians who celebrate Christmas. But we had no clue what is a ginger bread house, what does it has to do with Christianity or Judaism. I honestly think that the little Jewish girl is so confused (and perhaps has parents who are clueless).

Reading this thread helps me to understand the mentality of American jewish :)

[/quote]
There is no “mentality of the American Jewish.” Jews who have roots all over the world, in many denominations, live all over the US. In fact, I live in a small town with one synagogue in our whole region, with Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and humanist members, and we’re having trouble with our rabbi search because many of us don’t agree with what we need for our congregation as Jews.

Please don’t let one snotty comment from a child lead you to those beliefs about all American Jews. [/quote]

How do you even know the girl said that? This is 2nd hand, from a child whose first language who may not even be English, to a parent whose first language is not English.  I seriously doubt the Jewish girl instructed PP's daughter to make a gingerbread house for her.  More likely she just said that she wouldn't be doing it.  As she should -- a gingerbread house is a traditional Christmas craft.  Yes, it can be secular, but a Jewish family is perfectly within their rights to decline to do traditional Christmas crafts IN SCHOOL.  [/quote]

I know it from my child, that I clearly posted in my message. English is her native language, along with few others. You don't know my child, you don't know the Jewish girl, but you chose to accuse my child of lying or misinterpreting information. The girl didn't just said that she cannot do it, but clearly said that my daughter has to do it for her. We are not talking about 2nd grade children, we are talking about kids who are 12-13 years old, who can understand perfectly what has been said.

I found it funny because there is nothing in Christianity about gingerbread house, so no, I don't consider it Christmas tradition at all. Maybe it is a secular tradition in some countries like Germany, but it is not a Christian tradition. We are Christian family and we never ever made a ginerbread house at all.

I never said that the particular Jewish family was wrong in declining anything (they can decline any courses offered by public school, it is not my business). I think they are confused about Christian traditions. And the proper course of action for the Jewish girl would be to discuss it with the school administration, not with the other students. The girl and her parent received the school curriculum for each subject that they had to sign. If the parent don't agree with some aspects of the curriculum, they should contact a teacher or a counselor at school to discuss their issues with the ginerbread house. [/quote]
Gingerbread houses might not be Christian, but they are part of the Christmas celebration. Santa is also secular, but I sure don’t want my Jewish child doing any school projects that involve him. [/quote]

Where do you come down on snowmen?[/quote]
As far as I know, it snows on everyone in our region, and it’s a human trait to recognize and create  people in inanimate objects ...Snow is not something that forced assimilation. [/quote][/quote]

Snow is not, but the snowman is. Same thing is with evergreen trees and decorated evergreen trees. So how you chose to accept a snowman, but not a decorated tree? [/quote]
Hm. The first recorded evidence of a snowman was actually a Jewish figure (who was, I admit, present at the crucifixion). But scholars assume that since snow has fallen, people have built snowmen in their own images, and very little ties historical snowmen to Christmas...not even that first one. Frosty the Snowman makes so reference to Christmas in the original song, and barely mentions it in the movie. So, I’m not sure what your point is. [/quote]

Where are the ties of the evergreen tree to the birth of Christ?[/quote]
There are none. But a decorated evergreen tree is a traditional symbol of Christmas (first German, then English via Queen Victoria’s husband, then American), while snowmen are just symbols of winter. So, again, what’s your point?[/quote]

The decorated evergreen for solstice has a history much older than Xmas

https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees[/quote]
But it s a symbol of Christmas here and now, in America in 2018, having come from the above lineage. Please stop trying to Christian-splain my observances and trying to catch me in some sort of hypocrisy. [/quote]

You did that yourself.

I guess we have a different view of the word "traditional".  I favor "oldest & original tradition and meaning" and you favor "MY tradition and meaning".[/quote]
Sigh. There’s no hypocrisy here. If you can’t see the difference between “a snowman has never meant ‘Christmas,’” and “a decorated tree means Christmas here and now in America” (not my meaning, but an accepted symbol for the majority of folks who live here), then I just can’t argue with you. That’s what a “symbol” is.

Listen, I’m the PP who lives in a community with one synagogue that every Jew of every belief goes to because it’s the only one in the region. My kid is the only Jew in his class. I know from assimilation and being “different.” This line of conversation has gotten icky. [/quote]

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