In cities and towns across America, Jewish first responders and care givers volunteer to take the shifts of their Christian colleagues at Christmas time, in order that those colleagues can spend the holidays with their families and loved ones. This has been a tradition for more than fifty years in many parts of the country.
The practice, known as the Jewish Day of Service or D25, originally began with informal arrangements among individuals, but has since become a well-organized nation-wide event. Jewish federations and community centres line up volunteers well in advance, not only to take the place of Christian colleagues at work, but to offer meals, gifts and support to the less fortunate in their communities. For the more devout amongst them, this volunteer work is a religious obligation known as “tikkum olam”, (repairing the world), but for all of them it represents a fundamental principle of Judaism, collective social responsibility.
Perhaps one of the most well-known individual examples of such social responsibility was Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish immigrant who settled in Chicago in the late 1800’s and built a small mail order house, Sears Roebuck, into the largest retailer in America. The successful businessman then used much of his wealth for philanthropy, notably to improve the lot of rural black Americans. He worked with the famous black educator and civil rights leader, Booker T. Washington, to establish some 5,357 public schools for blacks. He funded several hospitals for blacks in the South as well as 24 YMCA’s, and was a major contributor to the NAACP. Rosenwald also made massive contributions to the University of Chicago and spent $11 million to fund the Chicago Museum of Industry and Science.
As a minority community, Jews have been part of the fabric of American life since their arrival in all thirteen original colonies. Their contribution to the building of America was recognized in writing by President George Washington. They fought with distinction in the Civil War, and former Union general and subsequent President Ulysses S Grant appointed more Jews to public office than any of his predecessors. As prominent American historian Jonathan Sarna notes, “Time and again, partly as a result of his vision of what it meant to be an American, Grant consciously worked to assist Jews and secure them equality. … Through his appointments and policies, Grant rejected calls for a ‘Christian nation’ and embraced Jews as insiders in America, part of “we the people.”[i]
Since then, of course, many more religious minority communities have arrived in the United States, making their own contributions to the economic, social and political life of the country. Interestingly, one of the most visible signs of their integration and social cohesion has been their adoption of practices similar to that of the Jewish community. There are now national and local Muslim organizations fulfilling the same functions as their Jewish counterparts at Christmas, in their case in observation of fundamental Islamic values of charity (zakat) and service to humanity. .
Meanwhile members of the growing far right Christian Nationalism movement in the United States are trying to take their country in the opposite direction. Apparently motivated by Old Testament values of vengeance and retribution, rather than Christian charity, they are among the most fervent supporters of the MAGA/Trump faction, dominating the old guard Republicans and spreading fear and ill will. As countless scholars have outlined, Christian Nationalism is founded in the erroneous belief that the US was formed as a Christian nation and Christianity should be the source of all its laws, and only Christians of a certain Old Testament vehemence should form part of government. Unbelievably, they embrace the presidency of Donald Trump — serial sexual predator, inveterate liar and corrupt politician — and he benefitted greatly from their support to secure his second term of office.
Not surprisingly, then, several of the January 6 ringleaders were seen praying and holding crosses as they advanced on the Capitol to “take back” their country, one that they see as white, Christian and misogynist. These views were reinforced much more recently at a supposed funeral service for slain MAGA religious activist Charlie Kirk, although the service – attended by numerous Republican senators, many members of cabinet and Trump himself – resembled nothing so much as an old time revival meeting for born again evangelical Christians.
As one Episcopal Bishop so clearly stated in a recent podcast, “Christian nationalism is an ideology masquerading as religion and…seeks to manipulate religious teaching for political gain.” Put another way by a leading evangelical pastor who opposes what he refers to as “white Christian nationalism”, the only time ”justice” is used by MAGA Christian Nationalists, it is “to call for punishment of those who oppose their political agenda.”[ii]
Trump himself spent the early hours of Christmas Day posting increasingly vicious tirades denouncing several of his Democratic opponents, past and present, along with derogatory rants against a number of senators and state governors who he feels have opposed his agenda. But the worst was left to the end, with a shrill denunciation of Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who was born in Somalia, questioning her citizenship and urging “Throw her out of the U.S. now!”
With nearly 30% of Americans now claiming some degree of affiliation with Christian Nationalism, it would appear that the Christmas spirit, and the idea of goodwill to all, will now be left to the religious minorities who continue to promote the values that the country used to be known for.
[i] https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268016548/religion-and-state-in-the-american-jewish-experience/
[ii] Jum Wallis. “The False White Gospel”. And “Exposing Christian Nationalism”, Dr. Michael W. Austin..
