The Absence of Christmas

Christmas Eve is here and that means the majority of the Western World is gearing up for one of the most popular holidays in the west, but here in Israel it's just another Monday.  Nothing closed early tonight and shops will not be closed for Christmas tomorrow. No one will wish we a Merry Christmas and I will not see a single Christmas decoration hanging in the streets of Har Nof. The main cultural difference between the U.S and Israel in December is the lack of Christmas in Israel. There are Israeli Christians who celebrate Christmas (though they are a minority) and Jesus's biblical birthplace is in Bethlehem (in the West Bank). If not for Christmas posts on facebook, the day may have come and gone without me realizing it, which would have been unthinkable in the U.S.

One of my favorite things about being in Israel is time runs on a Jewish calendar.  Shabbat is the weekend, and even those who don't observe often times have the day off of work (it is the only weekend day in Israel).  Sabbath Observant Jews don't have to request to leave work early (in Jerusalem at least, I can't speak from first hand experience for other parts of the country on this) because the work week ends to give them time to get home for Shabbat on Friday evening.  I've started to take the "Jewish week" for granted in my time here and no longer think about the strain I watched several of my friends go through while trying to re-arrange their work schedule to accommodate Shabbat and Chagim (holidays).  Every Shabbat I try to not let myself forget this and to think about how lucky I am that I didn't need to worry about requesting time off from work or school to be able to celebrate the holiday.    Also, during Hanukah, I was often wished a "Chanukah Sameach" (Happy Chanukah) as I checked out of the grocery store.  And on Fridays, it is common to hear "Shabbat Shalom" as a common greeting as everyone gets ready for Shabbat.

To all my friends and family celebrating Christmas, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and to all my Jewish family and friends, I hope you have a nice day of eating Chinese food and going to the movies. :)