Israeli Santa and Palestinian Santa: Email Exchange
From: Santa Clause Israel
Date: Monday December 7, 2009 2:19pm
To: Santa Clause Palestine
Subject: Situation on the Ground
Hello Nicholas,
It took me a while to consider sending you this email, but I feel I need to speak to someone. I am sure you heard of the recent survey conducted in five elementary schools in Israel and five other schools in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the findings of the survey came as surprise in light of both of our hard work to bring joy.
When I read that 85 percent of Israeli school children do not believe in me, compared with 75 percent of children in Palestine do not believe in you, I feel unloved.
What shall I tell Mrs. Clause?
Remind me again why do we do this?
Father Christmas.
From: Santa Clause Palestine
Date: Monday December 7 2009 2:25pm
To: Santa Clause Israel
Subject: Re Situation on the Ground
Hello Nicholas,
It’s a bumper about the survey finding, but do not let that get to you. I think it’s a knee slapper that the survey also found that 79 percent of Palestinian school children think my red suit makes me a member of the Palestinian Popular Front Movement.
Nick, I think it was 55 percent of Palestinian school children associate me with the UNRWA, as a deliver presents in time of Christmas. I don’t get a check from these guys; my presents are not foreign aid. It’s to spread joy to the little ones. So, keep your head high … LOL … HO HO HO
Regards,
Santa.
From: Santa Clause Israel
Date: Monday December 7 2009 3:19pm
To: Santa Clause Palestine
Subject: Re Re Situation on the Ground
Thanks ole’ boy, it just gets frustrating when I read things like 89 percent of the Israeli school children do not believe I come from the North. Because they think nothing good has ever come from Israel northern borders.
I am trying to be calm, but when I read the news and about beating of Santa last week in Tel-Aviv mall and the few Russian Jews are not feeling the Christmas spirit.
Sometimes, I think, let them have their Hanukkah and candle lights and cash gifts (gelt) The North Pole is working at capacity anyway.
Saint Nicolas.
From: Santa Clause Palestine
Date: Monday December 7 2009 4:00pm
To: Santa Clause Israel
Subject: Re Re Re Situation on the Ground
Hold your reindeers Saint Nicolas, last night the Israeli military arrested one of my guys for protesting. Remember, you only have to worry about the nice Israeli boys, the naughty ones get sent to the West Bank.
Every night here we celebrate Hanukkah with the candle light as the power goes off frequently. Listen kids here also like cash, just like their cousins over where you are, return policies are kind of non-existent over here.
But that does not mean we ought to give up, did Will Farrell give up when he was an Elf? Answer is no!
Speaking of Hanukkah, did you know that olive oil has a special meaning in the Hanukkah celebration? Maybe you can give those little kids in Israel some olive oil bottles in their stuffing to kill two birds with one stone.
One more thing Santa, I am stuck in Gaza and cannot find parts to fix my sleigh, can you hook a Santa up? And my reindeers love pasta but I can’t seem to find any here.
Father Christmas.
From: Santa Clause Israel
Date: Monday December 7 2009 5:19pm
To: Santa Clause Palestine
Subject: Re Re Re Re Situation on the Ground
Father Christmas,
Yeah, just send me what you need, maybe I can fly over, thanks for your support really.
Yeah actually, I knew about the Hanukkah “Miracle of Oil” thing.
I guess I cannot just leave my post here in Israel that will give a bad signal that there are no good boys over here that might be a bad PR move on the North Pole’s part.
BTW, do kids in Palestine make their cookies with date or nuts?
Santa.
From: Santa Clause Palestine
Date: Monday December 7 2009 5:30pm
To: Santa Clause Israel
Subject: Re Re Re Re Re Situation on the Ground
Saint Nicolas,
That’s my Santa; way to be mature about this (BTW, when is your birthday?) I advise you against flying over, the military might shoot you sleigh down and then we both are stuck; we cannot spread joy if we are both stuck. Instead use the tunnels to get me the needed parts, I know a guy.
Did you say miracle of Oil? Isn’t that Saudi Arabia? Anyhow,
I think this little kid just called me Hajj; I am no Hajj for crying out loud since I was banned from Saudi Arabia.
P.S. The kids here leave me Baklava
P.P.S. Homes here do not have chimneys, I feel bad, but many of the homes have blast-holes from last year when the military went and destroyed all the joy I built up.
Originally posted at DivineCaroline.com
[Tarboush Tip: Will]
This is brilliant, in a painfully cynical kind of way.
I'm not sure why you find it "brilliant", Aisha. The vast majority of Palestinians are Muslim and the vast majority of Israelis are Jewish. Neither Jews nor Muslims celebrate Christmas as far as I know. I don't understand why Hanitizer is attempting to use Christianity as a weapon against Jews. Especially on behalf of Palestinian Muslims. How much sense would it make for Pakistanis to be using persecution of Christians as a weapon against Indian Hindus? They both persecute Christians, don't they? Brilliant? I'd say it is weird.
Hani, please leave Christians out of it. Thanks!
I don't know why you insist on lying about what he wrote. Plenty of people who are not Christians celebrate Christmas and foster belief in Santa Claus in their kids. Japan has less Christians than Palestine does, but Christmas is a major celebration there among non-Christians who embrace it as an imported cultural, rather than religious, holiday. They also like traditional Christian church weddings and celebrate Valentine's Day. Hanitizer's article states that many Russian Jews also celebrate Christmas and miss putting up trees. I have Jewish friends who put up Christmas trees as well. For all these people Christmas and its assorted traditions like trees, gift-giving and Santa Claus is just a fun cultural event like Cinco de Mayo or Day of the Dead, and not religious–though Santa doesn't seem to face as much risk of getting beaten by religious fanatics or spit on in Japan as he does in Israel.
Fact is Christmas in America is more a commercial spendfest for the majority of people than it is a religious holiday. Why are you trying to turn Hanitizer's post into a Christians vs Muslims vs Jews screed?
I don't know why you insist on lying about what he wrote. Plenty of people who are not Christians celebrate Christmas and foster belief in Santa Claus in their kids.
And can you document the large numbers of Palestinian Muslims and Israeli Jews who celebrate Christmas, Sean? Because it sounds like a bunch of crap, to me.
Japan has less Christians than Palestine does, but Christmas is a major celebration there among non-Christians who embrace it as an imported cultural, rather than religious, holiday.
Well, we aren't talking about Japan, are we? We are talking about the middle-east, where Christians, Jews and Muslims have a very troubled history.
Fact is Christmas in America is more a commercial spendfest for the majority of people than it is a religious holiday. Why are you trying to turn Hanitizer's post into a Christians vs Muslims vs Jews screed?
Because that is what it was? Why are you trying to turn a post about celebration of a Christian holiday by Muslims and Jews in the middle-east into some version of what people do in Japan and the US?
And can you document the large numbers of Palestinian Muslims and Israeli Jews who celebrate Christmas, Sean? Because it sounds like a bunch of crap, to me.
I'm not aware of any study of how many Palestinian Muslims don Santa hats or how many Jews decorate trees, but they do exist:
Palestinian Muslims celebrate Christmas:
http://www.palestine-family.net/index.php?nav=6-2...
Israeli Jews buy Christmas trees:
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3...
Christians and Muslims pray together
http://www.zhelp.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArt...
"So much of the fear and antagonism we see today against Muslims come from ignorance. In Palestine, Christian and Muslims have lived together in harmony for centuries, and particularly in Bethlehem, they have not only shared Christmas celebrations, but even the Muslim feasts Eid al-Fitr at the end of the Ramadan fast and Eid al-Adha. As one young Bethlehem tour guide commented in 2002:
We know how to celebrate together, because we know how to weep together. We have suffered as one people under 35 years of occupation. The same week that Mary, a Muslim mother of seven was killed in Beit Jala, Johnny, a 17-year-old, died in Manger Square as he was coming out of the Church of the Nativity, both shot by Israeli snipers. We're all inmates together, Muslims and Christians, in the same miserable prison called Palestine. We have no freedom, no peace, no jobs, no money for winter heating, no travelling to Jerusalem or between towns and villages, no future."
I'm not aware of any study of how many Palestinian Muslims don Santa hats or how many Jews decorate trees, but they do exist:
Right. Well, I know of one Muslim Iraqi blogger whose family celebrates Christmas too. She even posted pictures of their Christmas tree. Doesn't change the fact that Christians in Iraq have been persecuted terribly by Muslims for half a dozen years now. My understanding is that Palestinian Christians are not happy campers these days, either, so it seems more than a bit absurd to try to bring Christianity into the Arab/Israeli conflict. Especially when the editorial stance seems to be that Muslims have the moral high-ground on the issue, because while some are obviously worse than others there isn't one Muslim country that treats Christians citizens well. And that's a fact, Sean. There is even serious persecution of Christians in Indonesia, and Indonesia is a secular utopia compared to the Arab world.
I wouldn't set my watch by your understanding, Craig.
Well, Sean, since you seem to think there's no more religious discrimination in the middle east than there is in Japan or the US, I doubt anyone with a 3 digit IQ would "set their watch" by your understanding of just about anything, Sean. It isn't rocket science. Either you're dumb as a box of rocks or you're deliberately being deceptive.
Christianity is follwed by 6% of the Palestine population and 1.8% of the Israeli population. So it is not at all surprising that there are more Santa believers in Palestine than in Israel, as the article claims..
Five Muslim American students in their 20s from northern Virginia, were detained this week in Pakistan for trying to join a jihad, or holy war.
Sons of immigrants from Muslim countries are being drawn to violent Islamist militancy.
Meanwhile, Will supports the Taliban.
if Hitler was able to finish off the self rightous and pugnatious jews NONE of this would be happening.
after forty years of jewish tyranny I have had enough of thier pity party and shuting people up with the nazi card…of which I am certian someone will pull when reading this post,…YOU jews have held the world hostage to your history and your shame..yes shame..YOU let yourselves be herded like cattle and murdered, YOU massacre innocent people in thier own homes and occupy land and destroyed a nation in MY life time….you are insolent and racist of the worst order and greatest violence, YOUR lies and your Tyranny is revolting and inhuman…for the sake of peace and humanity as a whole …Isreal needs to be wiped from the face of the Earth and all records and History erased it ever existed and your names blotted out from the minds of man….ONLY then will Humanity move on beyond the tyranny of….YOU