Jews defend Jesus’ Jewishness after Vatican places Palestinian symbol in nativity scene

“It’s December, and you know what that means—it’s time for people online to start claiming that Jesus was Palestinian,” wrote the Jewish Journal after the Vatican displayed a nativity scene that added a keffiyeh (Arab head scarf) in the manger. Tying Jesus to the Palestinian cause in this way has been seen in Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem in the past. That Vatican officials employed it in Rome raised the ire of Jews and other Christians. I encourage you to read what Jewish writers say are the implications of visually stripping Jesus’ Jewishness away.

Jesus was born in the Judean town of Bethlehem, a descendant of King David. Nearly all the persons in the Gospel narratives are Israelites (whether Judeans, Samaritans, Essenes, etc.) who are living, working, and arguing in the shadow of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

Before we cast stones at our Roman Catholic siblings and others, Google ‘Jesus wearing US  flag.’ The images that come up are as inappropriate as Jesus in a keffiyeh. We all want to see Jesus for our people group in some way. And he is! Jesus loves the nations.  He is calling them to himself. Jesus also has Jewish DNA for all eternity. Something to contemplate.

Antisemites continue to act aggressively against Jews and those they perceive as Jews, stirring anxiety for our Jewish neighbors. My hope is that by reading these stories you will step into your Jewish neighbors' shoes for a moment and thus grow in compassion for them, whether you agree with their views or not. Our Jewish neighbors need words and deeds of comfort from the Christians around them.

These headlines are presented as a snapshot of what our Jewish neighbors are thinking and feeling and to provide data as you pray about these issues. CMJ USA does not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed in these articles.

Jewish perspective on Christians and more

👶🏾Is It Antisemitic to Claim Jesus Was a Palestinian? (Complied by Jewish Journal)

It’s December, and you know what that means—it’s time for people online to start claiming that Jesus was Palestinian.

• Engaging in Pure Hypocrisy,  Matthew Schultz, Dispatches from the Promised Land: The movement that claims that Jesus was a Palestinian. And becomes enraged when they hear that an Israeli Jewish woman will be playing Mary in a movie. And paints keffiyehs on images of Anne Frank… Is the same movement that freaks out when Jews eat hummus, alleging cultural appropriation and erasure.
• Resuscitating the Charge of Deicide,  Jeffrey K. Salkin, Forward: Swaddling Jesus in a keffiyeh also “resurrects” the charge that the Jews killed Jesus. How so? There is a simple, sinister syllogism at work in the symbolism of baby Jesus in a keffiyeh. The Israelis, i.e., the Jews, are killing Palestinians. Baby Jesus is dressed as a Palestinian. The ancient antisemitic slur of deicide, that the Jews killed God, re-emerges as the genocide charge — that the Jewish State has deliberately planned to destroy the Palestinian people.
• Erasing Jesus' Jewish Identity, Paula Fredriksen, Washington Post: Jesus was not “Palestinian.” Nor was he a “Palestinian Jew.” This is so for a simple reason: There was no political entity called “Palestine” in his lifetime. If Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he was born in Judaea as a Jew. He certainly died as one, under Rome’s heavy hand — the political condition that led to the two Jewish revolts.

🚩Is the Pope Trying to Send a Message to Jews?  (Complied by Jewish Journal)

Between dedicating a nativity scene in which Jesus is wrapped in a keffiyeh and calling for Israel to be investigated for genocide, Pope Francis is making concerning moves.

• Double Standards,  Charles Jacobs & Uzay Bulut, Jewish Journal: Christians face persecution, discrimination, forced conversion and even mass murder for their faith in many parts of the Muslim world, yet Pope Francis’ in his new book calls for an investigation to see if the Jews are committing a “genocide” against Muslims in Gaza.
• Disturbing Statements,  Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal: There is something disturbing about a pope accusing Jews—the victims of genocide themselves—of genocide while they are fighting for survival on several fronts against enemies aiming to destroy them.
• Dark Subtext,  Rabbi Avi Shafran, Forward: Amid the anguished commemorations of the events of last Oct. 7, Pope Francis issued a letter to Catholics in the Middle East. It lamented the “the fuse of hatred” lit a year ago and urged his followers in the region to “defeat our one true enemy: the spirit of evil that foments war, because it is ’murderous from the beginning,’ and ‘a liar and the father of lies.’” Most people would perceive those words as anodyne, even praiseworthy. But anyone familiar with the New Testament book of John knows these are words that for centuries have demonized Jews…

👶🏾Vatican removes Palestinian keffiyeh Nativity scene amid backlash   (Christian Post)

🍷Shabbat for Protestants  (Tablet)

As part of a growing trend among American churches, an evangelical congregation in Dallas weaves elements of Jewish ritual and liturgy into its Christian service

🤧Allergic to ‘God-talk’? The former head of a rabbinical seminary wants a word   (JTA)

Arnold Eisen, former chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, writes a book facing the “questions of what I actually believe.”

This is a must read. It will give you a glimpse at how many Jews think differently about God and prayer than Christians. There are also some insightful gems about living faith out that are instructive to Christians. The one that flew out to me: “… we’re not here to prove anything. We’re here to testify.” Amen.

😔‘Lost a brother’: Chabad community vows to press on with outreach after emissary’s killing  (JTA)

In Crown Heights, Brooklyn, home of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement’s world headquarters, community members expressed shock, grief and determination following the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in Abu Dhabi.

A peek into the missionary arm of Chabad: “The emissaries are part of the vision laid out by the movement’s late leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994. Taking on a mission of reaching every Jew in the world, he began sending rabbis abroad even before he officially assumed leadership of Chabad in 1950, starting with Morocco. Today, there are more than 5,000 emissaries stationed around the world, including in remote locations, countries with few Jews and even war zones. In addition to running Chabad synagogues, they operate schools, youth outreach efforts, restaurants and, in the case of Kogan, kosher grocery stores.” 

🕎A Wicked Chanukah (Six13)

The latest entry in the annual tradition of a Hanukkah-themed music parody. These are always fun to watch because they tell the story of the Maccabees in a creative way. They often comment on what is on Jews' minds that year. This one references the Israel-Gaza War and rising antisemitism.