Readers react to The Passion of the Passover

I got dozens of emails from readers reacting to The Passion of the Passover, some of them I found very interesting, especially the comments from non-Jews. Note that some of the readers reacted to the beginning of the fuller article (appearing is Slate) dealing with my refusal to put up light on my house for the winter holiday season as my son asked me to do.

Here are some highlights from six of them, with my reactions attached at the end of each letter:

1.

Mr. Rosner,

I am a Presbyterian from North Carolina, and just read your article on how Passover and Easter do not share the rivalry of Hanukkah and Christmas. I do appreciate your dilemma dealing with your 8-year-old on how commercialized Christmas has become. Though in a way you, as a parent, are lucky that Hanukkah has not been quite as blown out of proportion as Christmas as a "hit-the-stores" holiday, I'm sorry that Jewish parents are experiencing the fall-out of the Christmas consumerism phenomenon. This fact has also plagued many of us "less-fortunate" Christians who cannot afford some of the more expensive and heavily marketed items that are bombarding our children every Christmas.

Actually, I think that Christmas has displaced the observance of Easter as the "more important" (pardon the expression) of the two holidays in regards to the finer points of Christian faith, by the same means that transposed Hanukkah and Passover in your faith. The means I'm speaking of is main-stream marketing. I too feel the same way about Easter as a more defining observance of my faith as you seem to about Passover.

I thought you might be interested to know that we in my church as well as some other churches in our area do observe the Passover (to a degree) as part of our Holy Week observance leading up to Easter. While it may be a watered down version of the Passover service that you observe, we do it to pay respects to the Jewish roots of our faith. It is a way to reenact the Passover observance of Jesus and his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. The Seder is a beautiful service that I have come to look forward to every year.

While is it unfair that my holiday (Christmas) has encroached so much on your holiday (Hanukkah) during the winter, I feel blessed by how much Passover has enriched my Easter. And thank you for your article. You gave me something to think about.

Your Brother in Abraham,

Kevin Jones


To Kevin: Thank you for your thoughts. I do think Passover is much more important, but also see the benefit of having Christmas as the great buster of Hanukah.


2.

Shmuel,

I read your article on Passover not competing with Easter the way Christmas and Hanukkah do. As the Christian father of 3 (two teens and an 11-year-old), we've tried to expose our family to as many different religious holidays and customs as we could. Not in order to just celebrate holidays, but with a goal to expose them to other cultures and traditions so that they can appreciate what people of other backgrounds believe and celebrate, hopefully to promote understanding and acceptance instead of prejudice. We've held Passover Seders in our home, invited Jewish friends over to help tell the story, and to help understand the significance to the Jewish community. Personally, I think this has been a huge benefit to my children.

The purpose for my note was to ask a question based on a statement in your article. You mentioned your 8-year-old son asking about putting up lights and decorations, and how you said "no." I'm curious as to how putting up lights in December are based on consumerism? I'm probably first in line when it comes to speaking out on the commercialism of "Christmas", I hate it. We celebrate Christmas, but gifts are small, and many are "useful" things that the kids would need anyway. We do spend time discussing the whole reason for celebrating Christmas, not that we believe or teach that Dec. 25th is actually the day Christ was born. So, maybe we're a little different from the majority, but I still am curious how putting up some lights for an 8-year-old boy to enjoy and become interested in would not be a tremendous education opportunity for him and you, vs. just saying no and racking it up to consumerism. Traditions are important, as are our beliefs and faith, but it is also important to be accepting and knowledgeable about other cultures and races in our shrinking world. I'm not trying to preach, I'm just trying to understand a little more. Have a great day.


Shalom,

David Shull

Columbus, OH


To David: Thank you for the letter. The reason I didn't want to have lights has no connection to my consumerism aversion. Lights are beautiful, but it is not part of my tradition, and I want my son to be able to 1. Understand this distinction between the religions and cultures and 2. Stand the temptation to be like "everybody else." In a country in which Christians are the vast majority you can't be both Jewish AND like everybody else.


3.

Dear Mr Rosner,

I read your article "The Passion of the Passover: Why Easter doesn't overshadow Passover." While well written from a grammatical point of view I felt it showed a failure to research or a skewing of facts on your part. The article failed to show any knowledge of the beliefs of Christianity. The religion is not interested in converting people on the merit of flashing lights. In fact much time is spent around the holiday season speaking of why it should be a spiritual message instead of one of glam. However, one must be careful not to confuse a toddler's natural desire to assimilate with the majority with a simplified version of analysis as the friendly messages of lights and Santa Claus. Also be weary of the misinterpretation of frequency with intensity. Christians do make up a majority of this nation, and this fact alone can help to solve your mystery of why some holidays seem to overshadow others.

Perhaps more than anywhere else in the article, the statement you make, "the ideas of Passover are easier to identify with? The values of freedom, redemption, emancipation... You don't have to be Jewish to celebrate those and understand their meaning. Easter, as significant as it might be for a Christian who believes in the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death, can't overshadow the universal appeal of 'let my people go.'"

These sentences show a misinterpretation of Christian ideals. In Christianity it is accepted that the death and resurrection of Jesus was not merely that of a single man, but the saving of every person from death. This salvation applied not merely to one generation, but to all those who came after and chose to accept Jesus and His way of life. While the messages of 'let my people go' are powerful, in this story one group of people is allowed to survive and continue to procreate in this world alone. Is this one generation more able to be empathized with than ourselves?

It is worth keeping in mind that you do nothing to build your faith by knocking down another.

Sincerely,
James Liadis


To James: Thank you James for the honest criticism. You raised many issues in you mail, and I will not address them all. Some of them are a judgment of taste (the headline, by the way, not mine. The editors of Slate wrote it), some I agree with ("Christians do make up a majority of this nation, and this fact alone can help to solve your mystery of why some holidays seem to overshadow others"). I do feel, though, the need to react to one argument you made: in no way was I trying to "knock down" Easter. I was merely trying to explain why a Jewish father doesn't have to worry as much coming spring-time from the outside influence that is inherent to American life. In short: Passover is strong by itself, and Easter was never celebrated in a fashion that made life difficult for Jewish parents.


4.

I was very interested in your article about the contrast between Passover and Hanukkah, especially as it affects children. My husband is Jewish, and has described to me how he felt excluded from general society as a child during the Christmas season.


You mentioned your children requested decorations and lights for Hanukkah, which you declined. I have often wondered why Hanukkah is not celebrated with any lights or decorations; it seems like a natural fit to put up lights during the Festival of Lights. Is there a religious reason for this, or is it simply a wish to avoid commercializing the holiday?


I identify with the wish of children to be able to join into the general festivities of December; I was raised as a fundamentalist Christian, so I often was not allowed to participate in "normal" social activities, and found it difficult.

Your article seemed (to me) to suggest that the secular observation of Christmas is all about selling products. While the holiday is obviously very commercial, I think it is a mistake to believe that that is all that Christmas is about. Although I am not a Christian, I still enjoy celebrating Christmas, because of the emphasis on peace on earth and good will toward men, which is a universal idea. Christmas to me is an opportunity to focus on being kind to others, and strengthening relationships while forming new ones.

Thank you for a thought-provoking article!

Brenda Sherman


To Brenda: Thank you for the kind words. My reply to Kevin will give you a sense of why I don't want lights on my house. As to commercialism, I never said (or thought) that Christmas is "all about selling products." However, it does sell a lot of products - and didn't yet bring "peace on earth."


5.

Dear Mr. Rosner,

As you already know, many of us Christians are celebrating Passover, as it was our Lord, Jesus Christ, who was Jewish and celebrated Passover right before his death. I hope that we can add, not detract, from this most holy of Jewish holidays.

I must also share with you my most loving experience with my Orthodox Jewish friends and coworkers while I was in the garment industry in New York for many years. They were, by far, the kindest, most generous, employers I have ever worked for. Although they certainly teased me about my faith (I am certain they couldn't quite understand why I would believe such nonsense) watching them celebrate the holy days and all that it means to be a religious Jew allowed me to see, up front and personal, just how my Lord lived his life. It was a wonderful experience for me in that way also.


I am very pleased that the Evangelical Christians of today are in such support of Israel, we love you as our brothers and sisters.

Linda R. Vellucci


To Linda: Thank you for your thoughts. One small remark: Jewish employers can be kind and unkind, generous and un-giving. I'm happy you had good experience with Jewish New Yorkers, but don't think one should make a group-character judgment based on personal experience.


6.

That was a terrific article on Passover. As you eloquently observed, Passover and Easter have largely been able to avoid the consumerism of the Christmas/Hanukah season. I guess it's tougher to market a crucifixion than an infant's birth. As a Christian, my wife and I long debated the merits of Santa and the Easter bunny as regards our little boy. In the end, though I disapprove of rampant consumerism, I can deal with a spirit of love and charity embodied by the mythical character of "Santa" much easier that odd rabbit with the chocolate eggs! Exactly what does that have to do with crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus?!


P.S. you know a "hot" topic has been the increase in gentiles who participate in their own versions of Seders this time of year. I've seen strong opinions even in my rural community. Some Christians maintain it is part of their faith's heritage - a celebration of the Jewishness of Jesus. My wife is opposed to Christians conducting Seders, contending that these gentiles are not Jews, and are infringing upon Jewish tradition. Interesting points...

Jeffrey D. Musselman,

Wooster, OH


To Jeffrey: Thank you. On your second point, please see Kevin's and Linda's letters.