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I wish Jewish people would be more festive during the Holiday season. Squirrel Hill has so many Jewish-owned grandiose and gracious homes with historic appeal that would be even more resplendent if decorated handsomely. Obviously I don't expect Jewish people to put up Santa Claus figurines and Nativity scenes; however, is it considered tacky in the Jewish community to put alternating Menorahs and Stars of Davids in street-facing windows; an inflatable Dreidel in the front yard; maybe some light blue lights in some front shrubs; etc.? I'm always so underwhelmed by how little people in Squirrel Hill care about the Chanukah season whereas Christians in places like Morningside, for example, go hog wild decorating.
I wish Jewish people would be more festive during the Holiday season. Squirrel Hill has so many Jewish-owned grandiose and gracious homes with historic appeal that would be even more resplendent if decorated handsomely. Obviously I don't expect Jewish people to put up Santa Claus figurines and Nativity scenes; however, is it considered tacky in the Jewish community to put alternating Menorahs and Stars of Davids in street-facing windows; an inflatable Dreidel in the front yard; maybe some light blue lights in some front shrubs; etc.? I'm always so underwhelmed by how little people in Squirrel Hill care about the Chanukah season whereas Christians in places like Morningside, for example, go hog wild decorating.
So, according to someone who left me a rep comment, I'm an anti-Semite for this? I'm just curious as to why the Jewish community in Squirrel Hill is so inward with their celebration of their holiday season whereas the Christian community in other nearby areas is so outward with their decor and expression. It would just be so nice to see so many of these grand old mansions bedecked in lights and religiously-respectful and -appropriate decor for the season.
I wish Jewish people would be more festive during the Holiday season. Squirrel Hill has so many Jewish-owned grandiose and gracious homes with historic appeal that would be even more resplendent if decorated handsomely. Obviously I don't expect Jewish people to put up Santa Claus figurines and Nativity scenes; however, is it considered tacky in the Jewish community to put alternating Menorahs and Stars of Davids in street-facing windows; an inflatable Dreidel in the front yard; maybe some light blue lights in some front shrubs; etc.? I'm always so underwhelmed by how little people in Squirrel Hill care about the Chanukah season whereas Christians in places like Morningside, for example, go hog wild decorating.
So, instead of making sweeping generalizations about how you think Jewish people should celebrate, or care more, about Chanukkah, you could:
a) learn about the holiday
b) not assume that Jewish people don't care because they don't have inflatables in their yards
c) drive around to see how many people are going to the more than 30 temples in Squirrel Hill alone
d) consider not making sweeping statements about people that you don't know
To topic, I think Phipps has an awesome holiday display. We may hit Kennywood this year but nothing will replace Hartwood Acres!
I wish Jewish people would be more festive during the Holiday season. Squirrel Hill has so many Jewish-owned grandiose and gracious homes with historic appeal that would be even more resplendent if decorated handsomely. Obviously I don't expect Jewish people to put up Santa Claus figurines and Nativity scenes; however, is it considered tacky in the Jewish community to put alternating Menorahs and Stars of Davids in street-facing windows; an inflatable Dreidel in the front yard; maybe some light blue lights in some front shrubs; etc.? I'm always so underwhelmed by how little people in Squirrel Hill care about the Chanukah season whereas Christians in places like Morningside, for example, go hog wild decorating.
Hanukkah is a fairly minor holiday that has become conflated with Christmas for commercial and assimilation reasons. Some Jews put up "Hanukkah bushes," which are quite sad and underwhelming compared to Christmas trees. In addition, a surprising number of in-married Jewish families (including one set of cousins) do put up Christmas decorations. I personally don't see the point, but then again, that isn't something I grew up with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
So, according to someone who left me a rep comment, I'm an anti-Semite for this? I'm just curious as to why the Jewish community in Squirrel Hill is so inward with their celebration of their holiday season whereas the Christian community in other nearby areas is so outward with their decor and expression. It would just be so nice to see so many of these grand old mansions bedecked in lights and religiously-respectful and -appropriate decor for the season.
Anti-Semitic, no. Ignorant and bizarrely entitled, yes. I don't tell you how to celebrate your holidays, so don't tell me how to celebrate mine.
Besides, Squirrel Hill is "only" 40% Jewish. I'm sure there are plenty of tastefully decorated Gentile homes for you to gaze at.
SCR I didn't see what you wrote as offensive at all, but I am not Jewish, so it's not my place to comment on it.
What I did find offensive was the part where you wish everyone would trash up thier holiday with inflatables. Christians seem to be the only ones who do that. I would rather see an undecorated grand house in Squirrel Hill than one with a half deflated snowman slumped over in the front yard. Do people not realize what those things look like during the day time??? Literally a deflated sack of santa laying in the dead grass.
So, instead of making sweeping generalizations about how you think Jewish people should celebrate, or care more, about Chanukkah, you could:
a) learn about the holiday
b) not assume that Jewish people don't care because they don't have inflatables in their yards
c) drive around to see how many people are going to the more than 30 temples in Squirrel Hill alone
d) consider not making sweeping statements about people that you don't know
To topic, I think Phipps has an awesome holiday display. We may hit Kennywood this year but nothing will replace Hartwood Acres!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElijahAstin
Hanukkah is a fairly minor holiday that has become conflated with Christmas for commercial and assimilation reasons. Some Jews put up "Hanukkah bushes," which are quite sad and underwhelming compared to Christmas trees. In addition, a surprising number of in-married Jewish families (including one set of cousins) do put up Christmas decorations. I personally don't see the point, but then again, that isn't something I grew up with.
Anti-Semitic, no. Ignorant and bizarrely entitled, yes. I don't tell you how to celebrate your holidays, so don't tell me how to celebrate mine.
Besides, Squirrel Hill is "only" 40% Jewish. I'm sure there are plenty of tastefully decorated Gentile homes for you to gaze at.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PghYinzer
SCR I didn't see what you wrote as offensive at all, but I am not Jewish, so it's not my place to comment on it.
What I did find offensive was the part where you wish everyone would trash up thier holiday with inflatables. Christians seem to be the only ones who do that. I would rather see an undecorated grand house in Squirrel Hill than one with a half deflated snowman slumped over in the front yard. Do people not realize what those things look like during the day time??? Literally a deflated sack of santa laying in the dead grass.
As a Christian I understand Christmas to be the Christian celebration of a boy who was born to then subsequently be sacrificed to atone for our sins.
As a Christian I understand Chanukkah to be a joyous occasion where those who practice Judaism commemorate liberation from historic oppression that was endured many centuries ago.
Both seem like reasons that adherents of both faiths would want to outwardly display their pride and their beliefs through decorations. I'm just curious as to why Christians go over the top with their displays while you don't see Squirrel Hill bedecked with such enthusiasm.
Selfish for me to want to see the owners of some of those grandiose old mansions north of Forbes decorate their homes according to whatever they celebrate this time of year? Perhaps. I personally look forward to that giant red ribbon on the mansion along the corner of Fifth & Amberson in West Shadyside every year (although I believe this is now just the second year the owners have been doing it).
I drive for a living. Seeing more outward displays of the celebration of Judaism by the Jewish people is something I really would desire to see. I like when they have the little parade in Squirrel Hill where people will put Menorahs atop their vehicles as they drive around. Otherwise if you're driving down many residential streets around December 10 you'd never know you were in the midst of the "Holiday Season", and I think that's a travesty.
As far as being "off-topic" is concerned I'd consider my frustration about living/working within a part of town that largely disavows the Holiday Season and refuses to decorate for it to be quite relevant. I have light-up snowflakes in our street-facing windows---non-secular (could be hung by Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, etc.)---and they liven up the neighborhood. I'm the type who would be hanging semi-circular red, white, and blue bunting below my windows on Flag Day, Independence Day, Veteran's Day, and Memorial Day if I owned my own home because I think holidays (no matter if they're major or minor) are still reasons to stop, reflect, and enjoy or observe. I grew up in a poor area, yet it seemed like every other house was like the Griswalds' home from Christmas Vacation. If poor people can find the money to decorate, then why not wealthy people in the East End?
P.S. I don't find the inflatables to be tacky or cheesy, hence why the suggestion of an inflatable Dreidel wasn't seen as being potentially offensive in my eyes.
As a Christian I understand Christmas to be the Christian celebration of a boy who was born to then subsequently be sacrificed to atone for our sins.
As a Christian I understand Chanukkah to be a joyous occasion where those who practice Judaism commemorate liberation from historic oppression that was endured many centuries ago.
For you, Christmas is the holiest day of the year. For us, Hanukkah, once again, is a minor holiday (a textbook example of the "they tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat" motif) that retailers made retroactively "important" by associating presents with each of the eight nights. The key Jewish holiday that commemorates liberation from historic oppression is Passover.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Both seem like reasons that adherents of both faiths would want to outwardly display their pride and their beliefs through decorations. I'm just curious as to why Christians go over the top with their displays while you don't see Squirrel Hill bedecked with such enthusiasm.
My theory is that for much of our history, we couldn't (and in some parts of the world, still can't) outwardly display our faith without experiencing negative consequences. Many families will put a mezuzah on their door and place a variety of Judaica inside the home. Outward displays are more subdued, but do happen. For example, during Sukkot, which celebrates the Autumn harvest, Jews will sometimes assemble huts in their yard. During Shavuot, some Jews will spice up their homesteads with plants and greenery.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Selfish for me to want to see the owners of some of those grandiose old mansions north of Forbes decorate their homes according to whatever they celebrate this time of year? Perhaps.
Not perhaps, undoubtedly. It's ridiculous to ask friends, much less complete strangers, to adopt foreign customs and spend their time and money decorating their homes for your amusement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
I personally look forward to that giant red ribbon on the mansion along the corner of Fifth & Amberson in West Shadyside every year (although I believe this is now just the second year the owners have been doing it).
Which is their prerogative, not yours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
I drive for a living. Seeing more outward displays of the celebration of Judaism by the Jewish people is something I really would desire to see. I like when they have the little parade in Squirrel Hill where people will put Menorahs atop their vehicles as they drive around. Otherwise if you're driving down many residential streets around December 10 you'd never know you were in the midst of the "Holiday Season", and I think that's a travesty.
God forbid you should accept that we do things differently.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
As far as being "off-topic" is concerned I'd consider my frustration about living/working within a part of town that largely disavows the Holiday Season and refuses to decorate for it to be quite relevant.
We don't "disavow" the season. We just choose not to cater to your chauvinistic whims.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
I have light-up snowflakes in our street-facing windows---non-secular (could be hung by Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, etc.)---and they liven up the neighborhood. I'm the type who would be hanging semi-circular red, white, and blue bunting below my windows on Flag Day, Independence Day, Veteran's Day, and Memorial Day if I owned my own home because I think holidays (no matter if they're major or minor) are still reasons to stop, reflect, and enjoy or observe.
And that's your prerogative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
I grew up in a poor area, yet it seemed like every other house was like the Griswalds' home from Christmas Vacation. If poor people can find the money to decorate, then why not wealthy people in the East End?
Because, for the umpteenth time, it's not about the money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
P.S. I don't find the inflatables to be tacky or cheesy, hence why the suggestion of an inflatable Dreidel wasn't seen as being potentially offensive in my eyes.
Otherwise if you're driving down many residential streets around December 10 you'd never know you were in the midst of the "Holiday Season", and I think that's a travesty.
The detail that EA is leaving out which I find interesting is that the (war? Battle?) which the Maccabees won that kicked all this off was one of assimilation, specifically avoiding being assimilated into Greek culture. So it is more likely to set some Jews' teeth on edge if people are complaining that their displays are not as flamboyant as the Christian ones are, a.k.a. Why do these people set themselves apart and not assimilate? That, I can tell you in one word: tradition.
Both seem like reasons that adherents of both faiths would want to outwardly display their pride and their beliefs through decorations. I'm just curious as to why Christians go over the top with their displays while you don't see Squirrel Hill bedecked with such enthusiasm.
It's heavenly, I think, not to have to see these displays of bedeckedment. And I do a double "oy" when I see the Friedmans' house every December; I'll never get used to seeing this outward display of going over the top -- I mean pride and belief -- chez Friedman.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Selfish for me to want to see the owners of some of those grandiose old mansions north of Forbes decorate their homes according to whatever they celebrate this time of year? Perhaps. I personally look forward to that giant red ribbon on the mansion along the corner of Fifth & Amberson in West Shadyside every year (although I believe this is now just the second year the owners have been doing it).
I'm guessing you meant to write "grand," not "grandiose." And for g-d's sake, would you just say "Shadyside" for once? Talk about grandiose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
I drive for a living. Seeing more outward displays of the celebration of Judaism by the Jewish people is something I really would desire to see.
Not your call. Hanukkah is celebrated for reasons that have nothing to do with you, by people who are not you. Accept the difference and drive on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
Otherwise if you're driving down many residential streets around December 10 you'd never know you were in the midst of the "Holiday Season", and I think that's a travesty.
To say what you deserve to have said to you here would get me banned until the end of Hanukkah, so think the worst, the most withering, and say it to yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
As far as being "off-topic" is concerned I'd consider my frustration about living/working within a part of town that largely disavows the Holiday Season and refuses to decorate for it to be quite relevant. I have light-up snowflakes in our street-facing windows---non-secular (could be hung by Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, etc.)---and they liven up the neighborhood. I'm the type who would be hanging semi-circular red, white, and blue bunting below my windows on Flag Day, Independence Day, Veteran's Day, and Memorial Day if I owned my own home because I think holidays (no matter if they're major or minor) are still reasons to stop, reflect, and enjoy or observe. I grew up in a poor area, yet it seemed like every other house was like the Griswalds' home from Christmas Vacation. If poor people can find the money to decorate, then why not wealthy people in the East End?
Wow. Just wow. "Disavow the holiday season." By not having a blue lightstravaganza. I hope you save this thread, Paul, and read it back to yourself in twenty years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelCityRising
P.S. I don't find the inflatables to be tacky or cheesy.
By now, this goes without saying.
Last edited by jay5835; 12-01-2014 at 12:52 PM..
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