Today is St. Patrick's Day. There's an old saying that goes "Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day." On the radio this morning I heard an Irish person update the line to "We want everyone to be Irish for a day." However you put it the Irish have embraced the idea of sharing what is essentially "Irish Day" with all the people of the world. What a great concept. Make the celebration of your identity a chance for others to embrace it as well. (Granted, many use St. Patrick's Day as an excuse to vomit green all over the sidewalk but this is no more the point of the holiday than vomiting is the point of Purim).Many Jewish holidays (and fast days) seem to be obsessed with underscoring the story of US vs THEM.
Imagine if Lag Ba'omer was a day for the world to celebrate being Jewish? The President would have a bonfire on the White House lawn, there would be (more) Lag Ba'omer parades throughout the country, and ERs would be flooded with arrow injuries.
A boy can dream...
19 comments:
LNM, I love how you always make a post promoting the non-Jewish or secular holidays. I think it's a fantastic show of respect for other cultures.
Imagine if Lag Ba'omer was a day for the world to celebrate being Jewish? The President would have a bonfire on the White House lawn, there would be (more) Lag Ba'omer parades throughout the country, and ERs would be flooded with arrow injuries.
YES! The beauty of America is how it has a special day for so many different religions and cultures. It would be beautiful to see each and every one get a representation.
I say we throw out these old religions and cultures and keep only the best holidays from all the world cultures and religions. Wrap 'em all up together and create a world religion for all human beings.
>Wrap 'em all up together and create a world religion for all human beings.
Building a Religion ;)
I actually am Irish. Well, two of my great-great-grandparents were famine immigrants anyway.
Thanks to Irish side, I'm prematurely gray.
A day for everyone to be Jewish. Great any volunteers? LOL
I don't think you're being quite fair.
First off, the majority of Jewish holidays are not obsessed with an "us v. them" mentality. Off the top of my head: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Succos, Simchas Torah, Shavuos, Tisha B'Av... all focus on either individual spirituality or Jewish life. (And Succos, ideally, is supposed to include other nations.)
Second, the days which do commemorate Jewish history (notably, fast days) are supposed to be introspective -- in other words, the eternal question becomes "what did we do wrong to deserve this fate?" I grew up hearing the phrase sinas chinam in connection to Tisha Bav -- I was never indoctrinated to blame anyone but ourselves. And I've certainly never met a Jew who was racist against Greeks or Romans for their past crimes.
That said, your idea is a good one, though I wouldn't choose a religious event such as Lag Baomer. (Separation of church and state, and all that.) Especially since we already have a secular-yet-nationalistic holiday on the calendar: Yom Haatzmaut. It perfectly promotes modern Jewish life, and might even help people (including, heh, many Jews) appreciate the importance of the State of Israel.
We Jews also strut our stuff even in New York. We have the Israeli day parade up Fifth avenue which is mostly for Jews although anyone can watch it. On Succos they build a Succah in the back of the library on Fifth avenue. And of course many churches have some sort of Seder with the Jewish community. You know for such a small number of people we really do stand out.....Avi
great idea. but you are gonna have to pick a fun holiday. i dont think anyone is looking for another fast day.
YZF,
> the majority of Jewish holidays are not obsessed with an "us v. them" mentality.
I'll concede the point. Going back over the numbers it looks like I was counting the fast days in the total. I'll edit the post accordingly.
> the days which do commemorate Jewish history (notably, fast days) are supposed to be introspective -- in other words, the eternal question becomes "what did we do wrong to deserve this fate?" I grew up hearing the phrase sinas chinam in connection to Tisha Bav -- I was never indoctrinated to blame anyone but ourselves. And I've certainly never met a Jew who was racist against Greeks or Romans for their past crimes.
Sounds like you may (or may not have) gone to a modern-orthodox-Zionist-loving school. I on the other hand was taught that even if we deserved it (whatever that means) the goys relished in executing god's will and deserve their share of blame.
As far as introspection on fast days I think that depends on how you're taught to approach it. I agree that we aren't taught to hate Greeks or Romans specifically but I know I was taught that "They" or "The Goyim" are out to get us. Sometimes they are Greeks and sometimes they are Nazis but "They" want us dead. I don't think this attitude is solely charedi however. For example, I'm not sure how the Shiva Asar B'Tammuz Holocaust movie marathons they show in shul encourages self-reflection. It actually reminds me more of Orwell's Two Minutes Hate, only longer. Obviously we should hate the Nazis, I just don't think it has anything to do with introspection.
> I wouldn't choose a religious event such as Lag Baomer. (Separation of church and state, and all that.) Especially since we already have a secular-yet-nationalistic holiday on the calendar: Yom Haatzmaut. It perfectly promotes modern Jewish life, and might even help people (including, heh, many Jews) appreciate the importance of the State of Israel.
Maybe but then again St. Patty's Day started as a religious holiday (and is still observed by many). Yom Haatzmaut may be too political for some and too geographicaly specific for others. Maybe Succos is a more natural fit.
Tu b'shvat -everyone likes to eat fruit and nuts - and it's pretty inclusive
As far as introspection on fast days I think that depends on how you're taught to approach it.
Totally agreed. If you were taught to hate or fear or distrust solely on the basis of ethnicity, you were taught the wrong way.
For example, I'm not sure how the Shiva Asar B'Tammuz Holocaust movie marathons they show in shul encourages self-reflection.
I never saw this as having anything to do with hate. To me, these screenings are to make the viewer feel sad. It's hard to relate to a tragedy which occurred a couple of millenia ago. But it's easy to relate to the incredibly depressing struggles of my grandparents' generation.
This reminds me of a question I had in high school. I was having a tough time fasting on Yom Kippur, so I asked a rabbi why we did it -- after all, if we're supposed to be immersed in prayer and introspection, why should we distract ourselves with something as basic as hunger and thirst? He told me what, in retrospect, seems obvious: it's to make us feel lousy. Feeling lousy is more powerful, and more effective, than talking about how we should be feeling lousy.
It's the same deal on other fast days -- we do things to feel sad. I've always been jealous of my uncle, who cries when he reads Eicha. He doesn't need to watch a Holocaust movie to be moved. But others do, and they do so -- at least in theory -- to relate to the day on an emotional level.
I mean, they don't show Triumph of Will. That would piss people off and get 'em all hatin' on the Nazis. No Raiders of the Lost Ark, either. (Last Crusade might be okay.)
Maybe Succos is a more natural fit.
I hope not. Esrog prices are high enough as it is.
uh, Hannuka, heLLO...?!
Why would non-jewish people want to celebrate jewish holidays? "Let's eat matza on pesach and get constipated! WOOHOO!" "Let's fast for 25 hours straight on yom kippur! YIPPEE!" "Let's live in a hut for a week! ALRIGHT!"
wait, what abt Yom Haatzmut? Too non pc? or am I talking to the wrong crowd for this?
why would other people want to celebrate hannukah either?
>why would other people want to celebrate hannukah either?
8 nights of presents and sufganiot?
"8 nights of presents and sufganiot?"
Once you hit a certain age though its narrowed down to only 1 night of presents :-( And eventually the oiliness of the donuts is too much for your system to handle... oy, heartburn!
We already share a holiday with the world, In hebrew it's called Purim. In english it's called St patricks day.
Building a Religion
e-kvetcher i love you man
Often, things are not what they appear merely because we think they appear a certain way, because we have only so many pairs of colored glasses on hand. We see things through the filter of our selves. So sometimes, it appears that Christian mass holiday celebrations are inconsiderate and perhaps that they aren't for us.
Christians on the other hand don't see it that way. They simply spread their holidays far and wide because they don't see anything but a Christian world. You being a Jew might think that was insensitive to you, but you aren't part of their world as a Jew. You just are a part of the world period, which they see through their glasses. You're just another might be a Christian but who cares. They don't.
Maybe the thing is to see the world through Jewish glasses, and assume everyone and everything in it is part of that world. Maybe the thing is to celebrate Jewish holidays with as much importance on a cultural level as Christians do, and you'll notice that most of these butting holidays are more social and cultural than religious.
What holidays do we have that are more social and cultural? What can we simple celebrate without worrying about who it is shared with?
I think the secret isn't to share, but to stop seeing the other as someone you have to go out of your way to share with, but not dissimilar from yourself and the sharing as more a natural extension of that which you'd see extended to yourself.
Maybe it is to simply be.
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