Every year I get up on my little soapbox and talk to you about why I say “Happy Holidays.” Now, before we go any further, I’m not saying this should be YOUR greeting if what you wish to say is Merry Christmas! If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I lived a Jewish life for twenty eight years so I have personal experience. Someone who is Jewish will most likely never say a word when you wish them Merry Christmas, even though Hanukkah may have already started. After all, they would never think to come up to you and say Happy Hanukkah. They more than likely will give you a gracious “Thank you…and same to you!” There is no offense taken.

But we are living in dangerous times right now. Hate is rising fast and antisemitism has reared it’s ugly head in a BIG way. I cannot express enough how scary this is to me. My family is Jewish. My children and grandchildren identify deeply with Judaism, even if they are not practicing Jews. I cannot sit idly aside and say nothing. 

I have experienced antisemitism myself. Someone in my own family treated me with contempt and asked me to put my Star of David inside my sweater. When my Jewish husband expressed an interest in moving to West Virginia to open a practice, this same family member told him, and I quote… “Well, we had a family of Jews down here once. Come down here from New York City. Wanted to change this and change that. Well, they lit outta here pretty quick when they burned that cross on their lawn!” To. His. Face. 

I’ve held my child while she cried because the other kids called her a “stupid ****ing Jew.”

This hatred against people for who and what they are is straight from the devil himself. God is Love. The very God these people profess to follow would NEVER treat people like that. The Jews are His CHOSEN people! JESUS was Jewish. He never wore a cross because he hadn’t been crucified yet. Christianity hadn’t been truly formed yet. 

I don’t want to go on and on about it, but there are FOURTEEN religious holidays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. From St. Nicholas Day to Bodhi Day to Yule to Zarathosht Diso…many faiths celebrate during the month of December.

Since I am not a mind reader, and I cannot tell what someone believes by looking at them, I say Happy Holidays. Because, chances are, they’re celebrating at least one of them this month. If I know for certain they celebrate Christmas, then of course…I say a hearty Merry Christmas to them. If I know for certain they are Jewish, I say Happy Hanukkah. 

Otherwise, it’s Happy Holidays from this left wing liberal hippy-chick farm girl!

I’m not scolding anyone. I’m just asking those who mistreat others to put themselves in the shoes of the downtrodden, the marginalized, the oppressed, the belittled, the victimized, the beleaguered, the beaten down, the underdog. Because they are just as human as any of us.

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”If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.“

1 John 4:20 ESV

#NoLoveKnowHate, #KnowLoveNoHate, #NoHate