Throughout the history of Christianity, Jewish peoples have been historically religious minorities in countries that were majority or even officially Christian. Over time, a unique relationship evolved between the Jews and the major Christian holiday of Christmas, including the creation of separate traditions and the intersection of Hanukkah and Christmas, among other convergences. Some practices perpetuate out of a feeling of otherness, while others are merely lighthearted activities that are accessible when shops are closed around Christmastime.
Background
Judaism and Christianity have historically interacted and intersected while remaining both theologically and emotionally distinct. Many Jews have historically been the religious minority in majority-Christian countries, and have experienced antisemitism based in Christian beliefs. Historically, some Jewish groups have developed sentiments, traditions, and works of art and literature in opposition to Christianity; however, unlike Christian antisemitism, this Jewish anti-Christianity has generally been subtle and intended for the purpose of preserving the Jewish culture and way of life in the face of pressure to assimilate into the Christian religion.
One example of this phenomenon is Toledot Yeshu (), a popular text among medieval and early modern Jews which attacks the Christian mythology of Christ through parody. While it was not accepted within mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, the text was considered an important historical source by Jewish scribes and scholars.
According to Marc B. Shapiro, the word Christmas does not appear in rabbinic literature, in adherence to the Halakhic prohibition of mentioning the name of an idolatrous holiday if that name represents the idol in question as divine or sovereign. In medieval Jewish texts, the holiday is referred to as Nittel, derived from the Medieval Latin which is also the etymological source of the French name for Christmas .
Jewish activities on Christmas
Nittel Nacht
Nittel Nacht is a term used in historical Jewish literature for Christmas Eve. On this night, segments of the Ashkenazi Jewish community and specifically Hasidic Jews historically abstained from the study of Torah. This practice, which began in the early modern period, was accompanied by various other traditions on the same night including sexual abstinence, consumption of garlic, and social gatherings. However, the practice was not accepted by the yeshivas of Lithuania, which maintained that Torah study should continue on Christmas Eve.
In the United States
Chinese food
A widespread Christmas tradition among Jewish Americans consists of eating Chinese cuisine. The practice began as far back as the 19th century; the proximity of Jewish and Chinese American communities in Manhattan's Lower East Side helped start the tradition. The earliest documented instance of Jewish people dining in Chinese restaurants dates to 1899, when the American Jewish Journal criticized Jews for eating in Chinese restaurants in violation of rabbinical kosher regulations.
Today, the tradition has spread from New York to Jewish people across America. One Chinatown restaurant in Chicago reported in 2004 that their number of reservations more than tripled from thirty on a normal night to nearly a hundred on Christmas—half of them Jewish. Another quipped that the year before, "I think we had the entire Jewish community here", with their 350-seat restaurant being completely booked on December 25.
The tradition has been the subject of many comedic routines, including "Borscht Belt" comedians such as Jackie Mason and Buddy Hackett. During Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham asked the judge during a rather tense exchange where she was on Christmas Day. Kagan replied, "You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant," causing the room to break into laughter. The Atlantic credited the televised exchange as the moment where the tradition transformed "from kitsch into codified custom".
Many reasons for the tradition have been offered, including the fact that Chinese restaurants generally remain open on Christmas Day and that Chinese food rarely mixes meat and dairy, the latter of which is prohibited under kosher law. More broadly, the tradition symbolizes to many Jewish people a rejection of historical Christmas traditions and a feeling of commonality with those who are excluded from those traditions—neither Jewish nor Chinese people are intended to celebrate Christmas, and this tradition unites them in their "otherness" concerning the holiday.