Holidays for The Half-Jew

[plumtreeblossom]

At no time in the year am I more aware of my Half-Jewishness than during the springtime holidays. Passover and Easter are quite on top of each other, and which I celebrate depends entirely upon who invites me to what function. As a dyed-in-the-wool Agnostic (not to be confused with atheist), I can go either way -- I just enjoy holidays and festivals. I don't spend it with the Christian half of my family, and their Easter is just a small chocolate & jellybean morning for the kids anyway. I've been out of regular touch with the Jewish half for long enough that it would be awkward to visit. So I just spend it in town and it's a Passover-Easter toss-up as to which side gets me.

The Jews have won for the past 6 or 7 years and I've been to seders each year (usually vegetarian or vegan seders). This year there hasn't been one that I knew I was invited to, so I haven't quite decided what to do with my weekend.

The December holidays are easier to layer, and I've even hosted very successful Channuchristmas parties myself. But the spring holidays both have a somewhat more serious edge, and you just can't interface them comfortably.

I know I'm welcome for services at the open and affirming First Congregational (I know because the gay Deacon says so!) but my heathen hide hasn't graced a church pew in a quarter-century, so I don't remember if there's any protocol to that.

I'm going hiking with Andy on Saturday afternoon, and have Monday off from work. Just a non-denominational dinner out with friends might be the nicest holiday option, if anyone is in town and interested. Let me know!

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Thank you, that's so much better a definition than I would have given, which would have been more like "it means really, seriously, totally." I just grew up with the expression and never stopped to even wonder about it's origins. This things learnt on LJ! :-)