A few days ago, a school in Herzliya held a holiday exhibition. I was going to ignore the issue but in honor of Christmas today I have decided to mention it.

It seems the students preferred to celebrate Christmas more than Hanukkah and put on an elaborate and glittery Christmas display while putting on a small and drab Hanukkah display.

Much of the religious press protested and criticized the school, teachers and students for the display, for allowing it and perhaps even for promoting it.

בית ספר חילוני בהרצליה חוגג:
לא את חנוכה,
אלא את כריסמס.
האמת,
בושה וחרפה pic.twitter.com/tj00qkTiOg

— ינון מגל (@YinonMagal) December 22, 2019

It seems to have scaled up a bit but the trend for Israelis and Jews, not really celebrating but commemorating in some way, Christmas has been increasing in the past decade, by my eyeball test. This year I was sure I noticed less of it, but then this happened. So yes, this is on a larger scale, but the trend was already there.

I don't know who is to blame so I dont know who to criticize, so I will just leave it at being a shameful display, a sorry and sad state of affairs that the pining for a foreign holiday is greater than for one that is our own.

And I find it interesting that when anything Jewish is introduced in the Israeli school system there are immediately screams of "hadata" - religious coercion in making the students study or experience something of Jewish religious significance, yet foreign religious experiences are embraced with nary a peep against.

Sure it is just one school. A very small incident with such a small number of people involved. For now. What starts with one will eventually be joined by many, as they find it fun and exciting, unless it is stopped and considered beyond the pale of an acceptable school exercise. people can personally celebrate whatever they want, but Israeli schools in the Jewish sectors of Israel should not be promoting and celebrating Christian, or other foreign, holidays.