What Could Be More American Than Celebrating the Birth of Jesus?

While as a Jew, I do not believe in the divinity of Jesus, as an American I acknowledge the pivotal importance that Jesus and his ministry played in the establishment of our great Republic. This is why I am proud to celebrate Christmas which is, after all, the celebration of the birth of a Jewish baby.

Jesus, in words attributed to him in the Gospel and confirmed with the establishment of his church by his followers, intended to carry forth to all of mankind the ethical and moral principles and precepts of the Torah. Those ethical and moral principles which, according to Jewish tradition were given by the Almighty to the children of Israel through their Prophet Moses at Mount Sinai, continue to guide our civilization, our nation, and our lives as individual citizens.

The Torah established a universal code of law that guides individuals and nations regarding proper and improper conduct and relations. The Torah set forth laws and ethical precepts that led to the abolition of slavery, the equality of women, the rules of war, private property, national sovereignty, and limited government.

The Torah described man as created in the image of the Almighty which is an idea that was eloquently advanced by Thomas Jefferson when he wrote, in the Declaration of Independence, that we are "endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This established the biblical principle that rights emanate from the creator and not from the state. This also established the uniqueness and the value of every human life. This confirmed that the proper role of government is to preserve, protect, and defend those inalienable rights as opposed to government as the origin of rights.

Jesus of Nazareth and his ministry brought the laws of the Torah to all of mankind. Jesus developed the idea of a personal relationship between the individual and the Almighty as opposed to a worship of idols which, in modern times, translates to a worship of the State. The modern regressive and anti-Christian socialist movements of Nazism and Communism sought to abolish the personal relationship between the individual and the Almighty as they attempted to replace that loyalty with that of worship of the State.

Jesus established the Judeo-Christian concept of a separation between church and state when he said: "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" It could be said that Jesus was the first individual in history when he stood up to the mighty authoritarian power of the Roman Empire. When Jesus stood up to Pontius Pilate, who represented the secular power of Rome, he inspired people to stand up to state power, to stand for that which is right. As a Jew, I honor the memory of Jesus, a fellow Jew. Rome would eventually follow Jesus and become Christian under the Emperor Constantine.

Thus, whether we are believers or not, religious or secular, we, as Americans, owe a profound debt of gratitude to Jesus and his teachings. America would not have its system of law, its institutions of freedom, its level of economic and cultural success had it not been for the influence and the guidance that emanated from the ministry of Jesus. Christmas, which is a recognized American Federal Holiday and which ought to be observed as such without any restrictions, should thus include reflections on the Judeo-Christian origins of our American system of government and should involve a national rededication to those principles.

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Celebrating September 11

There are many activities which take place in New York during the fall such as the US Open, the New York Marathon, the Thanksgiving Day Parade and to these high profile events; we can now add the commemoration of the September 11 attacks which left over 3000 dead. It having become an annual ritual in New York to perform ceremonies in memory of the September 11 attacks much in the same way as it is also tradition to put up and light the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza. Naturally with every politician who is running for election to try to get in his or her message to the public in between speaking of the real tragedy which was September 11.

As a further personal comment, I can clearly imagine that on this particular day, the occasion will we be used by President Obama to highlight his performance as president which has not exactly fulfilled all the expectations of those who elected him in 2008. Naturally Obama, not leaving out that it was during his administration that Osama Bin Laden was killed though this action by Navy Seals really had nothing to do with his administration apart from its having taking place in the same time period. Of course in all this I do not exclude some republican politicians like Bachman or Perry using the occasion to press their candidatures for next year's presidential election when making political speeches disguised as messages to the American public concerning the tragic events of September 11.

In all this however I do not wish it understood that I am advocating that the tragedy that was September 11 be forgotten along with many others which have taken place through out the world and history. I however do feel there is a difference between having a moment (or many for that matter) to commemorate a tragic event and having these ceremonies which in the eyes of some might even be seen as celebrating it if not blatantly using it for self-serving purposes. These ceremonies having been turned in to (at least in my opinion) nothing more than a way for politicians to make speeches in order to be elected or re-elected while celebrities in the music and film industry use them as a way to get more media exposure.

I, for my part would like to add to all this that I live in Poland where the 1st of September 1939 is just as important (if not more so) to the people of this country; given its smaller size and population along with the magnitude of the tragedy that was on that day than September 11 is to the US. This being a day on which candles are light and prayers are said given that on this particular day Poland was attacked by Germany to start W.W. II (or at least in Europe) with much heavier loss of life resulting in Poland from the war which followed than September 11. It being on this day that many (specially those who are of an age to remember) hold minutes of silence to commemorate what occurred so many years ago yet this day much to the credit of Poland; has not been commercialized in the way that September 11 has in the US. It being in the US that September II to a large extent has been made in to practically another 4th of July.

Of course, in all this I am not saying that I disapprove of such ceremonies (or what ever one wishes to call them) as in being aware of my place, I know it is not for me to either approve or disapprove of them. I also do not wish any to get the idea that I am pretending to tell those who read this what they should or should not do yet I do wish to make it clear that I find such ceremonies as being nothing more than a tasteless way to exploit the tragedy which was. In all this, I am aware that taste (as most people can agree to) is open to interpretation and not guided by facts but personal emotions yet I do which to make it clear that from my point of view; I find such ceremonies to lack not only in taste but consideration for the victims of September 11 along with their loved ones. This being exactly how I would feel if I had lost somebody near or dear to me on September 11 and perhaps more so since I would feel that that person's death was being used by others who simply do not care beyond how much they can gain from it.

My name is Gianni Truvianni, author of many an article to be found on the internet along with the book "New York's Opera Society". My works also include the books "What Should Not Matter", "Love Your Sister" and several others which still remain unpublished though I am presently looking to change this.

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