Bushes Send Out Christmas-Themed Hannukah Card

The New York Post reports:

Merry Hanukkah from the White House!

The president and the first lady invited leaders of America's Jewish community for a Hanukkah reception at the White House next month - but raised more than a few eyebrows by putting a picture of a Christmas tree on the invitation.

DCist adds that the First Lady's spokesperson apologized on Laura Bush's behalf.

Comments

[Shake-A-Spear]

Call it a Chanukkah Bush and -- poof -- no problem.

[doublels]

Ignorant & arrogant to the end.

[baseballmom]

I know Bush is clueless, but doesn't he have etiquette-savvy staff to help with these things?

[ShinjiIkari]

I guess it could have been worse. It could have shown the Star shining down on the White House or some other pretentious bit of nonsense.

[LMPE]

If Bush can do this, then I can send Happy Independence Day cards featuring the Union Jack. There are so many rednecks who hate America that they'll probably accept it. Maybe the Alaskan Independence Party will like it.

[wakeup804]

How about just Happy Holidays, it covers everyone, and who amongst us could get offended from a well intended greeting?

[appleknocker]

The entire on-screen staff of Fox News, among others.

[YeahDonkey]

I guess Kissinger was busy

[LDenning]

It was just an accident. Don't be too hard on the White House.

It's the NON-THOUGHT that counts.

[orientalobserver]

To my Christian friends: I think the best parallel is to consider how you would feel if you were invited to a Christmas party and the cover of the card from your host and president Barack Hussein Obama included the star and crescent moon but no Christian symbols?

[wakeup804]

Ummm why would he do this, because of his middle name. That was really lame. You have got to do better. But don't you worry, because no one from the White House past or present has you on their card list anyway.

[llmitchellb]

Aren't they just trying to fight the War On Christmas?

[karelles]

As a Jew, if an acquaintance wishes me a Merry Christmas, I take no offense, and I return the greeting. If someone, knowing that I'm Jewish, extends the same greeting, it rubs me the wrong way, but I remain courteous. Personally, if I were invited to a reception BECAUSE I'm Jewish, and the invitation looked like the one the Bushies sent, I'd be incensed and very likely to suggest they screw themselves.

That card expresses one of two things: either "Your beliefs and feelings don't matter," insulting, at best. Or it is part of their evangelistic nature. Throughout history conquerors, political or religious, have always co-opted the symbols of the conquered to ease the acceptance of the new regime or religion - the timing of Christmas with the Roman Saturnalia is no coincidence and neither is the Christmas tree's similarities to the decorated evergreens of the Northern European pagans which celebrated the continuity of life and the return of the sun.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Christmas symbols aren't a misguided attempt to say, "See, Christmas is associated with Hanukkah, and maybe next year, you can not only give gifts for Hanukkah but you can have a Christmas tree just like us. Perhaps the next year you'll enjoy celebrating Easter."

Sorry. I don't wish to be assimilated by the evangelical Christian Borg any more than I already am. Cultural sensitivity can't simply be dismissed with the label "Politically Correct." It's an important, world-class skill.

[illinidem]

the real problem: bush's support of israel and jews.

[karelles]

My, my... Aren't we a smarmy little anti sem.it.e. What rock did you slither out from under? Did it have a swas ti ka on it?

And I'd love to hear what you would propose for a Solution in the Middle East.

[harriettubman]

With this country's lack of diversity classes to teach people about other cultures, American history textbooks that lie, there's no possible way to determine if many people know that a Jewish person doesn't celebrate Christmas.

You're right and I agree 100% that cultural sensitivity is a WORLD CLASS SKILL. I love it. When I taught cultural diversity, I taught about every ethnic and/or religious group I knew about and gay people to boot. So often people would say "I didn't think of it that way or I didn't know that."

[doublels]

"Evangelical Christian Borg"---I LOVE IT!! A PERFECT analogy. You made my day.

[grumpygranny66]

OFF TOPIC***********Voters in the State of Georgia, please!!! REMEMBER TO VOTE ON TUESDAY 12/02/08, for Jim Martin (D) AGAINST Saxby Chambliss (R) in the runoff election.

Make this a Christmas GIFT to yourself. Go to the polls early.

[salzy1]

Hanukkah is a very minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the triumph over religious persecution (by the Syrian-Greeks) who pillaged the Temple in Jerusalem and put in statues of Greek gods. The Jews were killed if they refused to adopt the Hellinistic culture. A small band of men, up in the hills of Judea, led by Judah the Maccabee ("hammer") fought the Syrian-Greeks for three years (168-`165 B.C.E.) before defeating them. They then rededicated (hence the name "Chanukah", which means "dedication") the Temple and began a belated celebration of the Sukkot holiday (an 8 day harvest holiday) that they were not able to celebrate during the three year occupation. The miracle of the oil story was later conceived to explain why Hanukkah is an eight day festival. Although Hanukkah is not a glitzy holiday, with the tree and the tinsel of Christmas, it is nonetheless a story worth tellling and it would have been nice if the White House would at least of honored the holiday by placing a Menorah (an eight branch candleabra) on the invitation rather than a Christmas tree.

[LegalCat]

Right, I heard that from my dad, who was raised very orthodox, every single December of my childhood. We don't celebrate Christmas because we're not Christians, and we don't celebrate Hanukkah because it's a very minor Jewish holiday that's been elevated to an unwarranted degree because it happens to be around the same time as Christmas, so by celebrating it we'd basically be knuckling under to the Christians. This was a very convenient attitude on his part which just happened to mean that he didn't have to buy any presents, which was of course the whole point.

He was right about one thing, though: Hanukkah serves the same cultural purpose as Christmas. It's really easy to conflate them, and it's not surprising that people do sometimes. It's a little disturbing that the White House would do so, since they presumably have a staff of people who are responsible for preventing mistakes like this, but I'm amused by it the way I'd be amused if they sent out a Christmas card that had the word "Christmas" misspelled, more than outraged at their insensitivity. THEY'RE not Jews, so it's not all that surprising that they'd use their own Saturnalia iconography.

[joebaggadonuts]

What a tragedy that we as a nation have been taken to the cleaners by such poor in spirit human beings.

[keepemhonest]

Bush is a dumb@ss