MembersThe Gentiles Who Stole Christmas

In the country where Christmas happened, Christmas (basically) doesn’t. Nor can it. We Gentiles have arrogated it to ourselves.

Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90

I have a problem with Christmas, but it’s not one of the ‘usual ones’ – contesting

the perceived rights and wrongs about celebrating Jesus’ birth on this or that date, or scrutinising the pagan origins of a lot of the ‘Christmas stuff’.

My issue with chag hamolad (Holiday of the Birth) has grown over my 30 December 25ths spent in Israel. Year after year, I have been increasingly aware of how there is basically no commemoration of this event in the land where the “Christmas story” took place.

Christian Arabs do celebrate, of course; Bethlehem and Nazareth – towns that are historically Christian (even though they no longer are) – do deck their halls, and churches do hold Midnight Mass and Christmas morning services. I know this.

But for the overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens, it’s a non-event. This year, the 25th happens to fall on...

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