Keep in mind that this article was published by Haaretz and only the ADL is quoted. First of all there is nothing wrong with admonishing Jews or Israelis to avoid assimilation. Secondly, it is ironic that the ADL or just secular Jews are worried about degrading Christmas.
More quotes can be found on YNET.Ted Belman
VIDEO: Israeli absorption ministry releases campaign warning Israelis living abroad against assimilation; ADL calls videos demeaning to American Jewry.
By Barak Ravid, HAARETZ
An Immigration and Absorption Ministry campaign in the United States to convince expatriate Israelis to return has raised the ire of American Jewish groups.
The campaign warns Israelis that if they continue to live in the United States, they or their children are likely to become assimilated.
The drive began at the end of September with billboards in cities with large concentrations of Israelis, including New York, Los Angeles and Palo Alto. The messages included “Before Hanukkah turns into Christmas, it’s time to come back to Israel,” and “Before Abba turns into Daddy, it’s time to come back to Israel.”
The ministry then posted videos on its website and other websites with similar messages. One shows a set of Israeli grandparents, a menorah lit behind them, Skyping with their children and granddaughter in the United States. When the grandmother asks the girl if she knows what holiday it is and she answers “Christmas!” the four adults give each other worried looks.
Jewish activists and aides to both Jewish and non-Jewish members of Congress have been complaining to the Israeli consulates in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For one thing, they said, the campaign could be viewed as degrading Christmas.
Over the past few days, as several columnists began to take critical note of the campaign, some Jewish leaders began to protest.
“We find these videos heavy-handed, and even demeaning,” said Abraham Foxman, national director of the ADL. “While we appreciate the rationale behind the Israeli government’s appeal to its citizens living in the U.S. to return to Israel, we are concerned that some may be offended by what the video implies about American Jewry.”
A senior Foreign Ministry official expressed dismay that a campaign that risked insulting American Jews had been mounted without consulting with his ministry.
“We only found out about it from the complaints that reached the consulates,” the official said.
The Foreign Ministry asked the Absorption Ministry for clarifications, and the answer it got was that the campaign was launched in response to surveys taken among Israelis who live in the United States, and that the feedback has been positive.
The Absorption Ministry said the campaign was not aimed at American Jews but at expatriate Israelis, and stressed that it “respects and appreciates the American Jewish community and recognizes its strong connection to Israel.”
There’s no pagan dead man-god there, heathen.
I am amazed. How can aything demean the US Jews of the Foxman type?
I have been led to believe that they had achieved the ultimte demeaning of themsleves all on their own.
I was wrong… There was still some room in their way down.
Stan
They do. They really do.
Those of us non Jews (but not anti Jews or anti Judaism) when we fight for Israel in a very determined manner find very VERY quickly that among our opponents are not just our left laggards, but Jews who do not usually practice Judaism emerge to fight against us.
And that makes it very difficult for us who are not Jews.
I find this disscussion very interesting but it is NOT just the American problem, this problem runs right across. Francisco Gil white has done much work on this…scan throug http://www.hirhome.com if you are new…
Does anyone really listen to Foxman any more? Outside that is of Obama, the editor of Haeretz, and perhaps his wife?
Michael:
My hand is up! I’ll attack it because it isn’t even for Christians. As B.O. wrote above, it is pagan or as in Jeremiah below “heathen”.
December 25 is the birth date of Tammuz, not Jesus. Christmas used to be illegal in England and the early United States of America. Catholics brought it to America. True Christians, when they discover they have been lied to stop practicing Christmas, Easter and embrace Jewish Feasts. Apostate Christians and the heathen still practice Christmas. For those deceived Christians, N.B. Satan doesn’t care what you call him, even if you call him Jesus and worship him on December 25.
Jesus was probably born at the Feast of Tabernacles
PM nixes anti-assimilation campaign
Christmas is something of a monster in the US. The Christmas shopping season lasts from July through December, and a significant part of the US economy is made or broken during the holidays. Economists in America hold their breaths, following the performance of consumers over “The Holidays”, seeing it as a major indicator of the health of the US economy.
Christian songs used to be played in shopping centers at this time of year, while children flocked to sit on the laps of several “Santa Clauses” of the Macy’s model, quite devoid of crosses, rosaries or other Christian paraphernalia. Nowadays, the music piped through elevators and shopping malls is a gutted, nonsensical secular mish-mash. In Hindu India, as well as in Moslem Bangladesh and Indonesia, Christmas is an official holiday. Japan has embraced the festival as a commercial holiday, and even China has been infected.
Bah! Humbug!
Americans protest because of their guilt in assimilating- they know in their hearts these ads strike at what they have done to our people- I live n Canada and see it every day in what I read about the USA- we in Canada are just 10-15 years behind in our dissapearance- I just returned from California where many Jews don’t even like to admit who they are- these ads tell the truth and the Jewish secular establishment fear them- put the ads back on – can’t one say anything they like in the USA- nobody is attacking Christmas, but it’s for Christians, not Jews- not even secular Jews
Controversial commercials highlight historic balancing act between Israel and American Jews
David Ben Gurion: ‘In the free and prosperous countries, Judaism faces the kiss of death, a slow and imperceptible decline into the abyss of assimilation.’
As some of the reactions in Israel’s right-wing and religious blogosphere in the past 24 hours made abundantly clear, even if that was not their original intention, the misunderstood television commercials could still achieve a righteous aim by distancing “assimilationist” Jews from Israel and thus advancing the sacred goal, inspired by Deuteronomy, Chapter 23, to “let our camp be pure,” Amen. Read more
Thanks for your wishes and concerns. Israel has been blessed by some of the worst, incompetent and even corrupt leaders. That said we are generally no different than any other country, yet, despite lack of good leaders we have not done so badly all things considering. Israel’s leaders have seldom if ever been proactive but always reactive and the present leadership gives no evidence of changing the long established profile. Who knows maybe that what is best? No government policy ever works anyway and always what ever is planned fails to envision unintended consequences which always render policies a failure. I maintain that the best government policy is no policy but reacting in small micr steps according to the current hand dealt.
Democracy is the worst form of governance for nations under existential threat, too much debate and talk, too many extraneous political concerns and too slow in decision making process. The poorer a country the less they have to lose and are more aggressive and even more dynamic in risk taking and the converse also true.
I am always concerned but also optimistic as if any paid close attention re: Israel’s history somehow it all works out for the best. I first came to Israel in 67 and the sea changes that I have witnessed is nothing short of providential. The more our leaders screw up, the more we are threatened the stronger and more vibrant we have become.
“The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
— Proverbs 28:1 (NIV)
Maybe Foxman’s problem is wickedness?
By the way, Yamit, my prayers are with you and all Israel in the weeks and months ahead. Ironically, it’s for the sake of your peace that I hope you’re at war soon, de-fanging the Iranians and neutralizing incoming missiles. Israel has the choice of either striking when the iron is hot, or… I don’t want to mix metaphors. If Israel acquesces to Obama, Sarkozy, Erdogan et al, and allows a nuclear Iran to force them into strategic dhimmitude (or worse still, take nuclear incoming from the Ayatollah), God’s name will be defamed. I don’t think He Himself will let that happen, and the condition of Ariel Sharon might be a good object lesson of what happens to those who sell Israel for temporal respite. That said, I pray for your safety and well-being.
I saw a hacked version of the Christmas clip they pulled.Depicts grandparents in Israel over Skype video asking their grandchild if she misses Israel. Message “before Christmas replaces Hanuka isn’t it time to return Home?”. It was pulled under pressure from the stinking American Jews who are scared out of their collective hypocritical shtetl minds. Israel has every right to appeal emotionally to ex-Pat Israelis (Yordim) to come home, they are still part of us. We may have given up on American Jews but not our own. This isn’t even political correctness but outright fear of what the goyim will say. I was going to say typical exile mentality but then America is the exile and we should expect no less from them. As an Israeli I say write them off, if they had any value in the past they have little value to us today in fact a growing majority seems to side with any enemy of Israel.
Message From Yamit to: Goldberg, Foxman and all the other Kapo Jews. “Kish mein tuchas”
By the way stay the f&%^ out of my country.
Here are two they haven’t pulled so far:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=glQDf8vXvkQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP3gJN_YScM&feature=related
Regarding Abe Foxman, what do you expect coming from a guy who is more concerned with fake “islamophobia” than rabid islamic Jew-hatred.
Seventy years Judenrat were forced to comply in physical extermination, today, Foxman thinks it will be of use if he goes along in cultural extinction.
But it is all so misguided.Carrying your identity opnely and with pride means no harm. There is no need not to educate your children proudly in the open with the whole world to see.
Germany promotes and sponsors its “Goethe Houses” world wide where you can learn the German language, educate yourself in German literature and borrow German books in its libraries. Has anyone been offended?
Why does Foxman think Jewish education is a clandestine matter. Did he have marrano grandparents? did he inherit bizarre habits like reciting the prayerbooks surreptitiously on his knees, under the table, with drawn shades. People like Abe Foxman see threats where there are non, and he in particular seems to suffer from self-hate.
Maybe Foxman is well meaning. To me though, he seems to be suffering from a Judenrat syndrome.
Christian friends of the Jewish people, the people who really count and are very helpful to Israel, are overwhelmingly and overabundantly supportive of the Jewish people. In fact they make for the majority of the american public and they are after all more positive to the Jewish cause than say over two thirds of the US-Jewish community who went to vote for Obabama.
Christian supporters strongly believe the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient land of Israel, and that the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of this historic right.
I do not think these kind people want to see Jewish people assimilate. They will certainly not be offended for Jews to keep their identity. On the contrary, they will promote for Jewish people to retain their spiritual mission and settle in Eretz Israel. Maybe to Foxman that is an offence.
My strongest memory of any Christmas was setting off at about 11 oclock at night to attend midnight mass in the local village and there being touched by the singing of solos such as Adeste Fidelis. the thing is that that is still not my strongest memory. That is that it was in the mioddle of the irish countryside, and the stars were shining brightly, it being a frosty night cum morning (It was probably raining but that is not how I remember it, in my memory there was not a cloud in the sky!
It was much much later that i understood Jesus was actually a jewish patriotic man. How memory plays tricks! The strongest memory of all is that i set out on the walk into the village on that starlit night with my Irish Grandmother and this wonderful irish person had an absolute horror of any dirt on the back of my knees, and as for my ears that is a whole different story.
Ah! The old problem of Jews living in Israel and in the Diaspora who are afraid to be Jews.
Funny enolugh I was cogitating on just this last night and i just published some thoughts for you all to have a go at
http://isill.blogspot.com/
Friday, December 02, 2011
IRANIAN NUCLEAR BOMB AND THE JEWS
This is the final part:
Foxman has a problem, and I think it’s bigger than Christmas. The last time I celebrated Christmas in any fashion, was when I worked the line next to the ribbon man on a hoedad tree-planting job in the early ’70s. He tied red ribbons on Douglas firs. Of course, he did that every other day of the job as well. My ex-Lutheran wife and I have never celebrated Christmas together. Why should we? It’s a Pagan holiday. Maybe Foxman thinks it’s special; but I don’t — and I was raised Catholic.
Are silver bells for ding-dongs? I’ll reserve judgment, because most of my old family are tree people. In my home, we do Hanukkah; and we’re not Jewish. Maybe in a few years, the Christians will all be doing Hanukkah and the Jews will all be doing Christmas. Who’s to worry? They’ll still be different from us, which is what they seem to want. Christmas or Hanukkah, I don’t think I’ll ever be like Abe Foxman.