Photo: MFinChina, Creative Commons

For those of you who aren’t Jewish, don’t live in New York or don’t have any Jewish relatives, you might be unaware of the common Jewish custom that for every two Jews you get three opinions (or synagogues). Have you ever read our Talmud? This foundational multi-volume work  is filled with questions, discussions and arguments that sometimes end without a clear answer. Despite being an ancient text, this work continues to influence our different religious practices today and is still a source of arguments. The infighting  amongst fellow members of the tribe has enabled the development of  diverse customs amongst Jews throughout the Diaspora and within Israel, ranging from the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic sects (who certainly aren’t reading my secular blog) to the Jewish-Buddhist practitioners commonly found in Northern California and Massachussetts.

However, the one day of the year that unites Jews of all stripes is Christmas. Not only is it a holiday we don’t celebrate, there’s little we can do on that day since the majority of the country shuts down. But, thankfully our Chinese Buddhist friends keep their restaurants open and Hollywood (which has lots of members of the tribe) releases the pre-Oscar season blockbusters.

So, suddenly atheist and Orthodox Jews can be found breaking bread in Chinese restaurants together. And, those Jews who embrace the secular world can be found patronizing movie theaters (which, are often run by our Hindu and Muslim South Asian comrades). Amazingly, Christmas has become a day for Jews and other non-Christians to engage with one another and perhaps through this dialogue, move a bit closer towards respecting and understanding our similarities rather than differences.