The Charlotte Jewish News - December, 1997 - Page 2
My Voice.
By Susan Kramer
One of the questions I was
frequently asked after I converted
to Judaism was, “But don’t you
miss Christmas?” Although the
obvious answer was “How could
anyone miss Christmas when it is
so pervasive in our culture?”, my
response was a resounding “NO!”
In f^act, I would often add that one
of the nicest things about
converting to Judaism was that I
would never have to celebrate
Christmas again.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m
not talking about the sacred
aspects of the Christmas holiday
— “O Holy Night” still sends
shivers down my spine. What I
gave up with nary a backward
glance were the stresses and
rampant commercialization of the
Christmas season. I can remember
the foreboding that would assail
me around Thanksgiving each year
(I guess these days it would begin
around Halloween.) I never
seemed to have the time, money or
inclination to “do” Christmas like
Good Housekeeping told us we
should. I would usually ignore the
whole thing until two or three days
before the 25th and then make a
mad dash to the picked over store
shelves only to find that buying
meaningless gifts that I couldn’t
afford just to have something
under the tree made me feel even
worse.
Not being a particularly
religious person during most of my
adult life, I didn’t relate to the
sacred aspects of Christmas. In
fact, I think I have a much greater
appreciation of the beauty and
power of the Christmas story now
that I am Jewish than I ever did
when I was a Christian.
At first after I became Jewish, I
thought that I was simply
exchanging Chanukah for
Christmas. Then as I began to
leam more about the origins of
Chanukah, I realized that the way
we celebrate the holiday today was
more a result of living in an
overwhelmingly Christian culture.
The secular celebration of
Christmas has led many Jews to
respond with a celebration that in
many ways reflects the pervasive
Christmas themes that abound this
time of year.
Erin Naman, in her essay on
page 11 captures the nuances of
that dilemma for parents as well as
for kids. It is hard to be the parent
of a Jewish (or Muslim, Buddhist
or whatever-is-not-Christian) child
when everywhere we are
bombarded with images — the
Christmas trees, Santa Claus and
— oh, yeah — peace on earth yada
yada yada.
At our house, we try to de-
emphasize some of the more
blatant Christmas-imitating
aspects of Chanukah, but I fear
Chanukah decorations have found
their way into our home, and we
do buy Chanukah presents, though
we have drawn the line at a gift for
each night.
What we do do with pride is
light the Chanukah candles each
night, making sure the menorah’s
light shines brightly through a
window, proclaiming this to be a
Jewish home (the only one on the
block.) We invite in the neighbors,
tell the story of the Maccabees and
we feast on latkes and applesauce.
We rejoice that, 2200 years after
Judas Maccabee and his brothers
persevered in the face of religious
intolerance, we are still fiercely
proud of being Jewish and ever so
grateful that we live in a country
where religious freedom is not
something we must take to the hills
to fight for.
May the Chanukah lights shine
brightly in your window this year.
Rome And Jerusalem: the latest
landmark
(Continued from page I)
Churches had enjoyed certain
status and privileges, granted by
the magnanimity of the ruling
authority. In the Fundamental
Agreement, Israel committed
herself not only to the de jure
confirmation of these rights
pertaining to the Church’s
educational and philanthropic
institutions, but also to enshrine
the authoritative structure of the
Church’s hierarchy and religious
orders in Israeli law. To do so
required Israel to formulate a
special statute and it was
understood and agreed upon by
the parties, that it would take a
couple of years to work this out.
TTie agreed formula has now
been ratified and it is a dramatic
step without precedent. For
wherever in the world
arrangements exist between states
and the Catholic Church, the latter
is authorized to register its
various bodies under the laws of
the country like secular non-profit
organizations. Israel has gone
way beyond such arrangement
and has provided special legal
status for the Catholic Church and
its internal structure in which
“full effect” is given to Canon
Law. As a result the Holy See is
given precise legal jurisdiction
under Israel law over its own
institutions and assets in the Holy
Land. This, as indicated, is an
historic precedent, as no ruling
authority in the Holy Land —
especially not a non-Christian
power — has ever granted any
Church such de jure status It has
moreover been obtained in a
country in which Christianity in
general and Catholicism in
particular constitutes a very small
minority.
In accordance with this legal
recognition of the internal,
structure and authority of the
Catholic Church in the Holy
Land, a special register of some
130 ecclesiastical bodies and
organizations has been drawn up.
Any disputes, transactions etc.
pertaining to them, will
accordingly now be fully
adjudicated and resolved under
and by Israeli law. This of course
is a remarkable vote of
confidence in Israeli law on the
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part of the Holy See, the
significance of which in terms of
regional interests cannot be
minimalized. It also serves as
something of a model for the
Holy See, who undoubtedly
would wish to achieve a similar
agreement with other states and
national organizations in the
region, to safeguard her interests
with them as well.
However, she achieved this
agreement with Israel precisely
because the latter is not a
theocracy, but a modern
democracy committed both
through its Declaration of
Independence and under the law
of the land, to the principle of
freedom of religion for all the
faith communities in the country.
Indeed this agreement, which will
be followed by the necessary
legislation and regulations, serves
as eloquent testimony of the
maturity of Israeli democracy and
the commitment of the State to
the development of a society in
which all the different
communities in the Holy Land
may live freely and flourish. O
The next issue
of the CJN will
be published on
January 1.
Deadline for
articles
is December 1.
Point of View
Each issue of the CJN
features an article written by
one of three rabbis active in
the Charlotte Community.
This Month:
Rabbi James Bennett
Temple Beth El
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav was known for the spirit and joy
he taught through his stories and s^ngs. He used to say, “Don’t
despair — when difficult times arrive, we must be happy.”
A more contemporary song writer put it this way: “Don’t
worry — be happy!”
We in the Charlotte Jewish community would do well to listen
to these words.
The findings of the recently completed Demographic Study of
our Charlotte Jewish Community will echo within the halls of
our communal institutions for many months or perlu^ even
years to come. The entire community is grateful to many who
joined with our Jewish Federation to make study possible.
Already, discussions and debates are underway, exploring the
many imperatives derived from all the statistical data. Our
community, our synagogues, our Jewish Community Center, and
our Jewish Federation, have all learned a great deal about from
where we have come, where we are now, and where we are
going. Our future as a community may depend upon the
decisions we make today, informed by the data we have gleaned.
As with all statistics, there are many ways to interpret the
fmdings. I have already begun to hear cries of alarm and concern,
as the numbers are reported. Some are expressing their dismay
over the small numbers of Jews in Charlotte who keep kosher,
light Shabbat candles, attend synagogue worship services, or
who participate in the philanthropic life of the community.
Others are disappointed to leam of the size of our Jewish
community (7600) and the large percentage of unaffiliated Jews
in our area (47%). Still others have despaired over the number of
interfaith families participating in our community, the number of
families who claim to have a Christmas tree, and the number who
are predicted to marry out of the Jewish faith and or not raise
their children as Jews.
Hiere are some negative implications of such statistics.
Clearly, there is the need for more Jewish conunitment, practice
and participation in the life of the Jewish community. One of our
chief obligations is to fight assimilation, to incite Jews to live
Jewish lives. But the statistics do not spell doom.
There is much about which to rejoice. There are thousands 'of
Jews affiliated with our Jewish community, and the numbers
grow each day. An increasing number of Jews seek our assistance
in living Jewish lives, and are dedicated to making their Jewish
religious faith and identity a part of their day to day lives.
There is even reason to celebrate the statistics atout interfaith
families. The growing number of Jews who marry those not bom
Jewish is balanced by the growing number of interfaith families
who come to the Jewish community and seek our assistance in
living Jewish lives. When we qpen our arms to these members of
our Jewish community, when we tell them that we value them
and s^preciate them as part of our community, we celebrate their
choice to remain Jewish. When we include them in our
community, help them explore how they might be more
comfortable as Jewish families, and make them feel welcome, we
enhance our Jewish future. When we reject, condemn and blame
them for the choices tlwy make, we turn them away, periiaps
forever.
That is why I rejoice to see the results of the demograj^c
study. We must not criticize and confemn those who are not
affiliated with our institutions, who do not give money, who do
not celebrate Shabby (mt come to Temple, who have not married
Jews, who have Christmas trees in their homes, or who arc not
raising their children as Jews. We must first celebrate those who
are doing these things, and rejoice that there arc so many Jews
who do care about such Jewish ^ts. Hien, we must find ways to
inspire the rest of the Jewish community to care as well.
We cannot simply tell people that they should care about being
Jewish, that they should light Shabbat candles, keep kosher,
marry Jews, raise their children as Jews, give their money to our
institutions, or affiliate. Doing primary Jewish acts for their own
sake is not enough. We must inspire people to want to do Jewish
acts not as an end in themselves, but as the result of caring iU>out
being Jewish in the first place. We ourselves must be role models
of Jewish joy, meaning and commitment. We must demonstrate
our own joy of Jewish living, our own reasons for believing In
the Jewish tradition. We must be “a light unto the nation^,”
starting w^ o|ir own pe^e.^We must care enough abput beih^
Jewish to do |Siimary ace of Jewish life. ukI hope th^ others
who see how much meaning we find in these primary apts will
want to do them as well. We must turn Qur (Kinking on its be^d
and first help Jews to feel good about being Jewish, th^ to do
primary Jewish acts as a result..
What are t)»se primary Jewish acts? Pirke Avot te4u:hes us;
“On three things the wcM’ld stands — on Study of Torah, on
worship, and on deeds of lovingkindness.” Wbfn we show other
Jews that bemg Jewish m^s learning Torah, rejoicing in
communal prayer and woithip, and doing acts of tzedakah, they
will want to commit themselves to Jewish life as well.
The £)emogniphib Stud^r g^vei us reasHi to rejoice, to be
happy. About Je#ish life inf Gharlptte. Together, may we share
this jfw with the rest of oothrovuty; so that we may continue
to flowt^ and grow. O