I notice that people who are rooted in the traditions of their people like it when others are similarly rooted. Orthodox Jews, for instance, do not rejoice when the goyim become secular and lose their traditional ties. It is better when all peoples have transcendent allegiances, when everybody has things to live for beyond satisfying their impulses. Men who have families to provide for, hobbies to pursue, and roles to play in their communities, for example, are more likely to work hard and to be obey the laws of the land. It is the shiftless, rootless and idle who are particularly dangerous.
Christians rooted in Christianity, I’ve noticed, tend to prefer Jews who are rooted in their Judaism. Chinese and Japanese who are rooted in the traditions of their people are also comfortable when outsiders observe their peculiar ways of life.
Life is exhausting and living an insular life is usually inevitable, efficient and comforting.
With the upcoming Easter in mind, I could not help but to share a Twitter observation reposted by Scott Richert:
“Advertisers now call an Easter ham a “holiday ham”. You know, so as not to offend all those celebrating Passover with a ham”
Funny? Of course. Sad? Even more so. As someone who actually observes Passover (which I prefer to call by its original name of Pesach) fairly strictly – even the vodka in my freezer is kosher for Passover – I have a few observations about the ridiculous, evil, and idiotic dechristianization campaign that has been taking place in America for the last few decades.
First, people who seriously observe Jewish holidays by and large, do not object to Christmas and Easter having a prominent, public place in American society. I have never met an Orthodox Jew (Hasidic, Modern Orthodox, or non-Hasidic hareidi) who were offended, bothered, or even annoyed by public displays of Christianity. Such Modern Orthodox public figures as Dennis Prager and Michael Medved (whatever their faults) have always spoken in favor of a Christian America. The same goes for Conservative Rabbi Jacob Neusner who used to write for this magazine. Indeed, the more religiously observant a Jew is, the less he is bothered by public displays of Christianity.
Second, there were more public displays of Christianity on Easter in the former Soviet Union than in today’s America. As a child in post-Soviet Moldova, I remember how seriously Easter was taken by local people – and this was just two or three years after the fall of the militantly atheist Soviet Union. You could literally feel something different in the air on Easter. Coming to America, the only public displays of Easter I would see were colorful bunnies with egg baskets on the front lawns of suburban houses in upstate New York.
