If you’ve read the stories of Jesus, according to the Gospels, you most likely would conclude from the accounts that Jesus Christ was a Jew. But do Jewish people celebrate Christmas? I find this to be an interesting question. Why? Don’t worry, I will tell you.
Jesus of Nazareth or the Nazarene; does that sound familiar? Yes, according to the Gospels, Jesus was born by a Jewish woman in Bethlehem of Judah, close to Jerusalem. And later, he was taken by his parents to Nazareth, his hometown.
Today, Bethlehem is said to be controlled by the Palestinian Authority, but Jesus’ origin appears to be with the Jews and the Israelites. The same is the case with those who were recognized with him. By that, I mean the 12 disciples and others.
It sounds like if anyone should celebrate His birth, the Jews should be the ones to take the lead, right? Oh no! Not so fast. Hold on; let’s take it one step at a time.
This conversation is about the following question: Do Jewish people celebrate Christmas? Let’s begin with who Jewish people are and consider what Jews think of Christians.
Meanwhile, in our previous discussion, we looked at the topic: Do Mormons Celebrate Christmas? Feel free to check it out.
Who Are Jewish People?
Jews are descendents of the Hebrews, who make up the nation of Israel from ancient times. They believe in a monotheistic religion that was developed by their ancestors, and their God is identified as YHWH, described in the Torah as the God of the Israelites.
Jewish people are those who partake in the culture, tradition, and religion of the Jews known as Judaism, either by birth or conversion. They are members of the ethno-religious group, which is divided into subgroups, including Ethiopian Jews, Sephardims, Ashkenazims, and Mizrahi Jews who were situated in the area called the Middle East and North Africa.
Jewish people are a unique group of people with a religious affiliation and practice that is connected to the Jewish Bible, a combination of the Torah, the Neviim, and the Ketuvim to culminate in what is called the Tanakh. The Tanakh is the canon of the Jewish book of authority formed with the first letters of each sect’s writings listed above, totaling 24 books.
What does that mean? The Jews or Jewish people generally differ from other religious groups like Christians and Muslims, though they could be Christians and Muslims who have Jewish origins. Interestingly, the other groups mentioned are products of Jewish origins. Therefore, we have Christianity as Judeo-Christian.
What Do Jews Think About Christians?
Since Christianity has its roots in Judaism and Jesus, its supposed founder, was a Jew, one would ask, What do Jews think about Christians or Christianity as a whole?
Wait! Why that question? I thought we were just going to focus on the question, Do Jewish people celebrate Christmas? Of course, but to understand why they do or don’t, I think it is a good thing to know what they think of those who organized the event. Meanwhile, I already indicated that we will discuss this, so I guess we are good.
There is a problem with Jews and Christians. What Jews think of Christians is affected broadly by how they view and understand the person of Jesus, whether as the Christ or not.
Like I said before, Jews believe in a monotheistic God that is singular in nature, and the view of the traditional Christian monotheistic God that is three persons in unity creates a chasm between the two groups. It is more so a problem of dualism, where Jesus is seen as God with God. Therefore, God the Father and God the Son.
Moreover, Jews generally do not accept Jesus as the Messiah but rather as a Jewish self-acclaimed king who led other Jews astray. So, they viewed Christians as those who were led astray by that false Messiah. Therefore, to the Jews, Christians are Jewish heretics.
By and large, Christians, as well as other religious groups, are viewed by Jews as Gentile, that is, non-Jewish, even though Christianity and Islam originated from Judaism.
Do Jewish people celebrate Christmas?
Here, we come to the main question of the day: Do Jewish people celebrate Christmas? Generally speaking, Jewish people do not celebrate Christmas. Unlike Mormons and other Christians who have reasons to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Jewish people do not. They do not recognize Jesus as their Messiah, so why should they celebrate his birth?
Here is what is interesting: Jewish people celebrate an event that occurs in December 25, according to the Jewish calendar, but it is not Christmas. It is called Hanukkah.
Hanukkah, meaning dedication in Hebrew, is a Jewish Maccabean festival observed in the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem from the influence of the Greeks and the worship of their gods under the reign of the Hellenistic King Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century BCE.
The festival is observed over the period of eight days from the 25th of the month of Kislev to the 2nd of the month of Tevet, according to the Jewish calendar. Kislev could be from late November to late December, and Tevet could be from late December to early January in the Gregorian calendar.
Overall, Jewish people do not celebrate Christmas, but they celebrate another holiday around the same time, with lightings, eating, drinking, and meeting with friends and families. And the objective is different.
