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Post by Kensterberg on Dec 21, 2006 15:05:25 GMT -5
Happy Hannukah for Rocky, Mary, Bow, and anyone else inclined to light the menora this time of year. I think I'll celebrate Festivus, myself.  |
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Post by Mary on Dec 21, 2006 15:05:48 GMT -5
Happy Hannukah everybody! (And by everybody...I guess I mean Mary). may the flying dreidel bring you all your wishes |
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Post by strat-0 on Dec 21, 2006 15:07:42 GMT -5
Happy Hannukah for Rocky, Mary, Bow, and anyone else inclined to light the menora this time of year. I think I'll celebrate Festivus, myself. On to the feats of strength! |
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Post by Mary on Dec 21, 2006 15:11:52 GMT -5
btw even though we're jewish my family ceelbrates christmas. it's not really "christmas" for us, it's just a convenient day when everyone is off work and can congregate together in boston. but i grew up celebrating both hannukah and christmas (although again, "celebrating" only in the most secular way possible - giving gifts, nothing else, nothing remotely religious for either holiday) the reason i grew up celebrating both is because my father's extended family disavowed judaism and nearly all converted to christianity - seriously. they're hardcore. my uncle goes on christian missionary trips to kenya all the time, and what remains of that side of the family lives in colorado springs. so he grew up celebrating xmas and it was barely discussed at all that the family was historically jewish. but my mum's side of the family is culturally very jewish although not religiously so much. i never had a batmitzvah, but my cousins all did.
this is all a very longwinded way of saying, i'm not actually part of any menorah-lighting crowd! i did once have a menorah, many many many moons ago - when i was 4 years old i attended a private jewish nursery school and we made menorahs as some kind of art project. my "menorah" was basically a long piece of wood with a bunch of screws glued onto it, the candles fit into the screws. it's not exactly a masterpiece but fuck, i was 4. that nursery school, and another private school i attended for 6 months in pasadena when i was 8 were my only experiences in private school and my only experiences in any kind of "jewish" environment - the private school in california, i had to take classes in hebrew. all i remember of the language, curiously, is the phrase for "i love my mother" - i've forgotten everything else. guess my mom should be pleased!
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Post by maarts on Dec 21, 2006 15:16:29 GMT -5
The word "hordes" had very little to do with why I, personally, saw his statements as racist, maarts. But yeah, I understand what you're saying. Rocky- I know it didn't. I just picked one small part of the discussion to highlight what struck me as the irony. And for the record, you all made very interesting and enlightening comments, except for the dumb baiting that was happening. Happy festive season for everyone. I'm off on the last working day of the year! |
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Post by rockysigman on Dec 21, 2006 15:17:29 GMT -5
Whoops, didn't mean to leave out bowiglou! Happy Hannukah to bowiglou as well.
I wouldn't even really be aware that it was Hannukah if not for the very cheesy giant menorah in the lobby of the building I work in. I was pretty surprised that my mom didn't call me on the first night of Hannukah, but she didn't. I grew up celebrating Hannukah (and when I was a really little kid we did a little bit for Christmas too -- we were the only Jews in a very Catholic neighborhood, so I think my parents didn't want my brother and I to feel like outcasts), but now with the family all spread out, it's just another week. I'll exchange presents with the family when I'm back home for New Years weekend.
I didn't really go to formal Hebrew school either. I went to a secular-humanistic Sunday school that focused more on Jewish culture than on religion. We learned Yiddish instead of Hebrew. For Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, instead of reading from the Torah, we did a presentation on a big research project on a subject of our choice relating to Judaism. I did mine on Hank Greenberg. Yeah, at the time my grandparents were not happy. Told my mom that I'd hate her for not having a more traditional Jewish education. They were wrong.
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Post by rockysigman on Dec 21, 2006 15:19:49 GMT -5
The word "hordes" had very little to do with why I, personally, saw his statements as racist, maarts. But yeah, I understand what you're saying. Rocky- I know it didn't. I just picked one small part of the discussion to highlight what struck me as the irony. And for the record, you all made very interesting and enlightening comments, except for the dumb baiting that was happening. Happy festive season for everyone. I'm off on the last working day of the year! Fair enough. Have a great holiday and safe travels, maarts. |
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Post by Mary on Dec 21, 2006 15:23:10 GMT -5
Yeah, I've never felt the need for a more "traditional" version of jewish culture - but i am someimes embarrassed by how little i know about judaism. i know far far far more about christianity, because it was so important for what i study - augustine, luther, calvin, the american puritans - you have to read all those guys to get a decent political theory education. and then my dissertation topic, just to get a sense of the historical context of the french enlightenment i had to read a lot about the french protestant minority. so i feel like i have a decent sense of the theological underpinnings of christianity and almost none whatsoever of judaism - and that does seem kinda off to me. someday when i'm not buried under 17000 tasks i would ilke to do some reading in jewish history, culture, and theology.
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Post by Mary on Dec 21, 2006 15:23:39 GMT -5
but speaking of 17,000 tasks i've got to do one of them now!! ta ta!
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on Dec 24, 2006 3:40:09 GMT -5
but i grew up celebrating both hannukah and christmasChrismukkah! I dated a Jewish guy one & I was hoping the relationship would stick it out long enough to the festive season so we could have a Chrismukkah celebration. But no. Jewish boys don't like Catholic girls, it seems 
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Post by limitdeditionlayla on Dec 24, 2006 3:40:51 GMT -5
Happy Xmas to anyone, wherever you will spend it, hopefully with loved ones & loads of food. Thats what the day is all about - food.
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