The Jews and the War on Christmas

[yankeedoodle]

From the incomparable researcher/analyst Karl Radl, at Semitic Controversies.

The Jews and the War on Christmas
(2017 Editon)
http://semiticcontroversies.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-jews-and-war-on-christmas.html

Every year in the season of advent as we lead up to the celebration of Christmas; we see numerous articles from left-wing and/or non-Christian authors lamenting the 'fallacy of the war on Christmas'.

A good example this season is that by Kevin Jennings in Newsweek. (1) Jennings – a politically left-wing hack and 'LGBT Advocate' – (2) argues that 'Christmas' as commonly conceived has never existed because... well... it is a 'Victorian invention' – rather forgetting to mention that the Victorian notion was merely the formalization and secularization of an widespread existing pan-European tradition that was also present in the United States – and proceeds to claim that because the Puritans abolished Christmas because it was 'pagan' in the 1600s – which is citing an exception to the rule as if it were the rule (hence why Christmas is a feast day in nearly every Christian denomination) – and that because jews don't celebrate Christmas. It therefore follows that Christmas should be relegated to being merely referred to as the 'Holidays'.

This nonsense of course as one can quickly see when we but recall that Christians don't get offended when the jews refer to Hanukah by its name rather than substituting 'holidays' for it. You don't see jews saying 'Happy Holidays' in reference to Hanukah: do you?

That is the problem with Jennings' whole thesis; it not only uses historical evidence that is the exception like it is the rule, but also applies a double standard. Jennings doesn't want jews to change references of Hanukah to the more 'culturally sensitive' and 'inclusive' 'Holidays', but yet insists that Christians should change 'Christmas' to 'Holidays' because... well... reasons.

A similar argument is offered – without any actual evidence beyond statements that 'Obama said Merry Christmas!' – by Scott Mackay at Rhode Island Public Radio (3) and the 'debunk' of the 'War on Christmas' at liberal 'fact check' site Snopes repeats the same non-sequiturs and historical non-arguments as Jennings, but expands the claim to suggest that the political right is trying to destroy the 'true meaning' of Christmas. (4)

Erin Blakemore at History expands Snopes' weird thesis by recounting the 'Nazi War on Christmas', but strangely fails to cite any of the academic research on the relationship between National Socialism and Christianity to support her thesis. (5) This is probably because it contradicts her idea that the Third Reich was some trying to 'subvert Christianity' and 'modify Christmas'.

Indeed some hacks such as Lani Seelinger at Bustle (6) and Ralf Michaels at the Huffington Post (7) try to juxtapose this claim into modernity by assert that the political right not the political left are launching a 'War on Christmas'.

Yet behind that is a fundamental – and distinctly jewish element – in so far as jews have long been extremely antagonistic to Christianity and acted upon it in regards to publicly attacking Christian holidays. (

This year this has been demonstrated by Jeff Edelstein – who is jewish – (9) who has claimed that there is no 'War against Christmas', (10) Joel Keller in the Jewish Daily Forward has expressed a deep antipathy to the Christian celebration that is at the core of Christmas (11) and Samuel Freedman in the same publication denounces Christians standing up for Christmas. (12)

The Jewish News of Northern California has published a guide for non-jews dating jews about how to be sufficiently 'sensitive', (13) Tablet Magazine has produced a similar guide to jews on how to avoid Christmas all together, (14) Jamie Beth-Cohen in the Jewish Daily Forward has been complaining that people seem to think she hates Christmas because she is jewish (15) and jewish-owned coffee giant Starbucks has issued Christmas coffee cup designs promoting lesbianism to the outrage of Christians. (16)

Even jews who are ostensibly claiming to support the celebration of Christmas then it is either mealy-mouthed support like saying it is okay because Jerusalem has its own Santa Claus (17) and 'defending it' just to claim that the political right is really responsible for it being attacked. (18) Or more subversively they try to argue that Christmas is a jewish not a Christian holiday like Cindy Grosz in the Jewish Daily Forward, (19) James Rudin in Religion News (20) and David Benkof of the Jewish Journal of Connecticut. (21)

In essence what is happening here is that jews are trying to deprecate the Christian essence of Christmas, while instead trying to make Christmas an extension of Hanukah. It is hard to deny with the sheer scale of the push to both deprecate Christmas as a Christian festival, link it to Judaism and extend Hanukah to encompass Christmas as a celebration of jewishness. (22)

After all you simply need to ask the question: when was the last time that jews used 'Happy Holidays' in place of 'Happy Hanukah'?

Never heard them do it?

Nor have I.


References

(1) http://www.newsweek.com/war-christmas-what-christmas-are-you-talking-about-751632
(2) http://www.tabletmag.com/tag/kevin-jennings
(3) http://ripr.org/post/commentary-dont-fall-war-christmas#stream/0 ; also see https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/blogs/reader/entries/2017/dec/16/war-on-christmas-and-christians-not/ for a similar presentation.
(4) https://www.snopes.com/2017/11/29/the-war-on-christmas/
(5) http://www.history.com/news/the-nazis-war-on-christmas
(6) https://www.bustle.com/p/trump-winning-the-war-on-christmas-is-bad-for-christians-everyone-else-6744504
(7) https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-republican-war-on-christmas_us_5a21d077e4b05072e8b56934
( Elliot Horowitz, 2007, 'Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy of Jewish Violence', 1st Edition, Princeton University Pres: Princeton, pp.107-185
(9) http://www.trentonian.com/article/TT/20101205/OPINION/312059977
(10) http://www.trentonian.com/opinion/20171221/the-war-on-christmas-rages-on-despite-there-being-no-war-on-christmas-jeff-edelstein-column
(11) https://forward.com/life/faith/390382/why-christmas-lights-fill-this-jew-with-joy-and-dread/
(12) https://forward.com/opinion/politics/390324/the-only-ones-waging-a-war-on-christmas-are-evangelicals/
(13) https://www.jweekly.com/2017/11/23/doesnt-jewish-girlfriend-like-christmas-wrong/
(14) http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/251291/the-art-of-christmas-avoidance
(15) https://forward.com/life/390411/i-dont-hate-christmas-but-people-think-i-do/
(16) http://www.newsweek.com/starbucks-lesbian-holiday-cups-conservatives-719063
(17) https://www.timesofisrael.com/trading-sleigh-for-camel-jerusalem-santa-puts-the-ho-ho-ho-in-holy-city/
(18) https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-jew-says-yes-to-saving-christmas_us_5a2700c3e4b0f3c1632e6165
(19) https://forward.com/scribe/390549/im-an-observant-jew-and-i-love-christmas/
(20) http://religionnews.com/2017/12/08/how-christmas-is-linked-to-hanukkah/
(21) http://jewishjournal.com/opinion/david_benkof/228976/jews-defend-merry-christmas/
(22) https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-surrenders-in-the-war-on-christmas