I have much love and respect to the business and retailers who consider the diversity of society during the holiday season... Often times whenever you are a part of the majority in society you don’t realize that it’s your world and minority groups just adapt to live in it. I don’t say that like it upsets me or I want people to throw on a yarmulke and spin a dreidel with me. In fact, a week from now people will be wishing me a Merry Christmas everywhere I go. My reply? “Thanks, Merry Christmas to you too.” I’m not offended because someone doesn’t wish me a “Happy Chanukah” or “Non-denominational Holiday Season” and I’ll drink my Starbucks out of whatever cup they give m, because when I finish, I’m not saving that bad boy. It’s going in the trash. However, I’m not going to lie, it does feel good and makes one feel welcome when people show that they consider the smaller minority groups in society. As you can see from my son in the picture, it really doesn’t take a whole lot to have a meaningful impact.
Which brings me the final thing I want to mention. I’m Jewish, my wife is Christian. My kids are raised interfaith. They’ll light a menorah right after getting their pictures taken with Santa. They hunt for Easter eggs in the morning and will enjoy Seder dinner in the evening. Some Orthodox Jews would look down on me for this. Frankly, I really don’t care. Now if I’m willing to look at people within my own group and tell them why don’t they worry about Harvey Weinstein being a “good Jew” before they worry about me; maybe others could consider that diversity isn’t a dirty word and we all or more similar than we are different provided we choose to view each other as equals. At the end of the day we all desire happiness and fulfillment in life. I find this to be such a paramount pursuit that I’m willing to roll the dice, face God and say I feel like it was more important for me to marry the person I loved, than it was to try to love someone because they happened to find God the same way I did. I also think it was better to let my kids eat latkes while they decorate the Christmas tree. Then someday they can choose for themselves what will be their spiritual path in life. Essentially, my point is that when I ask others to consider that life is enriched by inclusion and not exclusion, I am not asking anyone to do anything that I myself don’t do.