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Barry's column

The spirit of the Christmas tree

Barry Lewis
Posted 12/9/22

My sons helped me pick out our Christmas tree. Putting it up reminded me of a story I had read about the actress Natalie Portman.  

A nice Jewish girl who was born in Israel, Natalie grew …

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Barry's column

The spirit of the Christmas tree

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My sons helped me pick out our Christmas tree. Putting it up reminded me of a story I had read about the actress Natalie Portman.  

A nice Jewish girl who was born in Israel, Natalie grew up on Long Island and went to theater camp in Loch Sheldrake. She made some unexpected headlines a few years back for telling Jimmy Fallon that she and her gentile husband would be getting a Christmas tree.  

It was the year that Christmas Eve coincided with the first night of Hanukkah.  

Natalie explained that they always went to his family to celebrate Christmas and would do Hanukkah at their home. But since both holidays were at the same time everyone would be at their place.  

She told Jimmy, “Now I have this great excuse, because it’s every Jew’s secret wish to have a Christmas tree. It’s so pretty; why can’t we have that, too? It took 35 years to get here!”  

Later in the show Jimmy gives Natalie an ornament for her tree. Nice, right?  

Depends on which Jew you ask. A good many took offense to her justification, venting on social media that she ignored the Christian symbol while turning her back on her Jewish identity. Folks were particularly upset with her comment, “it’s every Jew’s secret wish to have a Christmas tree.”  

I’m not trying to speak for all Jews. I have a hard-enough time just speaking for myself. But yeah, Natalie was right. I was a Jewish kid from Brooklyn who always wanted a Christmas tree.  

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait as long as she did. I can’t imagine celebrating Christmas without going out with one of the boys and now my granddaughter to scour over our neighbor’s tree farm to find just the right 8-foot blue spruce. It’s a Lewis family holiday tradition I cherish.  

Does it make me less of a Jew? Depends on which Jew you ask.  

The Pew Research Center found a few years back that about a third of American Jews (32 percent) say they have a Christmas tree in their home, with more than half of unaffiliated Jews celebrating the holiday season with a tree. Over 70 percent of intermarried couples put up a tree. So, it’s no longer a question of if Jews should have a tree, but what does the tree mean to these Jews.  

I’m sure my Christian relatives and friends attach a different kind of meaning to their Christmas tree. They think of it in religious terms. I don’t ignore that it’s a Christian symbol or pretend not to know what the holiday itself represents. I consider our Christmas tree as a symbol of a festive time of the year.  

I don’t need to defend my identity as a Jew and hopefully Natalie ignored the attacks on her.  

I listen to radio stations that play nothing but Christmas music and I’m not insulted when folks wish me a “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Hanukkah.” I consider it a warm, well-meaning salutation of the season.  

The only internal struggle my wife and I have with the two holidays is that the Hanukkah gifts are practical ones that come in sizes and the Christmas gifts are fun and need batteries.  

I’ve celebrated Hanukkah for nearly six decades. And for more than half that time I’ve enjoyed celebrating Christmas. Maybe not with the same spirit of most Christians, but on a more universal spiritual plane.  

Like other hallmarks of the season — from Santa Claus to gift-giving — the fir tree has evolved into a shared national symbol for Christians and non-Christians alike. Like mulled wine, eggnog or a shared family meal at a Chinese restaurant, the spirit of the season transcends its religious roots, bringing the Christmas tree right along with it. 

Choosing to tree does not negate one’s commitment to Judaism, nor does it undermine Jewish values. It’s simply a matter of personal preference.  

Barry Lewis is a longtime journalist and author who lives with his wife Bonnie in the Town of Neversink. He can be reached at barrylewisscdemocrat@gmail.com.

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