More broadly, the tradition symbolizes to many Jewish people a rejection of historical Christmas traditions and a feeling of commonality with those who are excluded from those traditions—neither Jewish nor Chinese people are intended to celebrate Christmas, and this tradition unites them in their "otherness" concerning ...
Since only 2.5% of the country's population are Christians and Christmas is not one of Israel's holidays, Christmas is not a common holiday in Israel, this is due to the fact that the country was set up around Judaism, not Christianity.
“American Jews have tended to present it as a holiday celebrating religious freedom. Hanukkah is a holiday about the history of Jews as a group. The historical story being that foreign invaders desecrated the Jewish holy temple in Jerusalem and prevented Jews from worshiping freely.
On Nittel Nacht, “religious sparks are diverted to feed the power of evil.” This was a Christian tradition. But it was also a Jewish one, called Nittel Nacht (Nativity Night). Jews refrained from reading the Torah, abstained from sex, and ate lots of garlic as they played cards all night long.
Jewish people do not celebrate Christmas for many reasons. The most pressing is that Jews do not see Jesus as the Messiah. They believe that there are prophecies that he has not fulfilled, which means that he cannot be the one who was prophesized.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It concludes the 10 Days of Awe. The day is devoted to repentance for sins that were committed during the previous year.
Other Jews don't unwrap gifts at all, and they simply treat Christmas like any other day of the year. This year, Christmas falls on a Saturday, so many Jewish people will go to their synagogue for Shabbat. For me, although I do have Christian extended family, I don't celebrate Christmas.
"Over the years, Jewish families and friends gather on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Chinese restaurants across the United States to socialize and to banter, to reinforce social and familiar bonds, and to engage in a favorite activity for Jews during the Christmas holiday.
Jews celebrate Hanukkah by lighting menorahs, telling the Hanukkah story, playing dreidel and eating special foods. And while yes, Hanukkah usually takes place in December, it is not "Jewish Christmas." Here's more about Hanukkah's history, customs and traditional recipes.
Hanukkah actually began nearly 600 years before the first Christmas celebration. Hanukkah and Christmas have overlapped over the years, though. In 2005, Hanukkah began on Dec. 25—and that will happen again come 2024.
But did you know that there are several Jewish connections to the holiday? First: Christmas is not a Jewish holiday at all. Not even close (and before you ask, no Hanukkah is not a Jewish version of Christmas). December 25th is just another normal day on the Jewish calendar.
Some Americans might be quick to say that Hanukkah Harry is the patron figure of Hanukkah, comparable to Santa Claus's role for Christmas.
In Hebrew Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Chag Molad Sameach' (חג מולד שמח) which means 'Happy festival of the Birth'. In Aramaic, the language Jesus would have spoken, it's 'Eedookh Breekha' which means 'Blessed be your Christmas'.
The Galilee city boasts a host of colorful Christmas decorations, as well as the largest and brightest Christmas tree in the Middle East. The tree arouses great curiosity among visitors from all over the country, who flock to take pictures with it.
Christmas in Jerusalem is a truly unique time of year. Thousands of pilgrims come to the city to celebrate Christmas in the place where it all began (nearby in Bethlehem).
Every region (or even every town!) has its own customs, but if there's one tradition that everyone in Italy can agree on, it's not eating meat on Christmas Eve. December 24 is the time for fish or cheese dishes to shine.
The opposite of Kosher, as applied to food in Treif (in Yiddish), or trefah (in Hebrew) meaning 'not suitable for use', or 'forbidden'. Trefah literally means 'torn by a wild beast' (Exodus 22:30).
It is common to prepare Qidreh, lamb meat cooked with rice in special wood fired oven. Often it can be ordered from places that specialize in making it. Qidreh is always served with leban, which is a thick yogurt. Some families prepare malfouf – rice mixed with minced meat rolled in cabbage leaves.
Some Jews, especially Orthodox Jews, don't celebrate every birthday. Most pass without ceremony, except for the third birthday when a male child receives his first haircut, the fifth birthday when he begins a formal study of Torah, and his bar mitzvah at age 13.
A quick Internet search on Jews and Valentine's Day yielded the following: Orthodox rabbis advised not to participate in Valentine's Day traditions because of the holiday's association with the saint (as well as some less-than-savory pagan rituals), while Conservative and Reformed rabbis leaned towards, “Sure, it's ...
Sunday is the start of Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, which marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days.
Instead, a Jew prays at home and in the synagogue: they invite God into their daily lives in the blessings they recite each day, and they are reminded of and connect to the will of God while also studying and discussing – on a daily basis – the Word of God.
Founder of Judaism
The origins of Jewish faith are explained throughout the Torah. According to the text, God first revealed himself to a Hebrew man named Abraham, who became known as the founder of Judaism.
This fact sheet highlights four major cultural and religious holidays (Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah) observed by a significant portion of Jewish American populations and addresses some of the ways that these holidays have been recognized by elected officials.