Jordan Chad · Christmas In Yiddish Tradition

Tuesday, December 23 @ 6:00 pm-7:30 pmPacificTimeVirtual Program
Total Program Fee:$18.00
Back in Europe, Yiddish-speaking Jews traditionally let loose on Christmas Eve with feasting, drinking, dancing, and gambling. Scholars have previously assumed that this Christmas Eve vacation from Torah study was some sort of antagonistic counterculture to Christians celebrating Christmas. But Jordan Chad’s recent bookChristmas in Yiddish Tradition: the Untold Story*reveals that the Christmas traditions transmitted in Yiddish were very similar to those transmitted in other European languages. Drawing on a wealth of documents, Chad argues that while Jews never celebrated the birth of Jesus, their Christmas Eve celebrations were essentially what they looked like: Jews celebrating Christmas.

*Use coupon codecode NYUAU30 to receive a 30% discount onChristmas in Yiddish TraditionatNYU Press.