. . In my experience at school growing up -- in Spokane, of all places -- there was always a concentrated effort in my choirs to sing at least one Hanukkah song at each holiday concert we did every year. I don't think I went a single year without singing at least one Jewish song, and I have never once been in a predominantly Jewish enviornment. I grew up very, very Christian.
The Hanukkah songs, though, were always by far my favorite. I always felt they were the prettiest sounding songs, and I really wish I could remember now what some of the song titles were. I might actually go out and attempt to find some CD(s) with Hanukkah music on it, even though I also love traditional Christmas music and always have. I miss the Hanukkah music, though. And if I'm going to keep listeing to Christian Christmas music when I am so not Christian anymore, why not find Hanukkah music to listen to as well?
Chanukah in Spokane!?niamh1December 8 2002, 11:34:48 UTC
This is very interesting. Although I have never been there, my father grew up Jewish in Spokane in the 50's. When I told him about this comment he said, "I didn't even think they knew what Jewish was!" Which is why I called him about it in the first place. He has this joking theory that growing up Jewish in remote, predominately Christian communities makes people a little wacko. He always uses himself, and Bob Dylan and the Cohen brothers (both of whom grew up in small towns in Minnesota) as prime examples.
For some people, it is difficult not to abuse power when they have it, I guess. On a different note, I am very used to people assuming a lot about me wherever I go. Since the way I look now covers up my past incarnation, people assume I'm just a regular guy. They also assume that I probably am a good mechanic, fixit guy, and I know a lot about computers. Well, I don't. Sometimes it's weird to be taken out of a group that you always belonged to by default, ie. "Woman", and thrown into a group of people that you look exactly like, but are not quite, ie "Man". I, too, try never to assume certain things about people, but sometimes it's hard. I once had someone say to me while I was doing a panel at SCC, "The first question we want to know when we see a person who has a confusing gender presentation is, what is their gender? I bet you never do that now because of your life experience." I promptly corrected her and said that the first question I want to know is that same thing. We work hard to get away from unhelpful
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In my experience at school growing up -- in Spokane, of all places -- there was always a concentrated effort in my choirs to sing at least one Hanukkah song at each holiday concert we did every year. I don't think I went a single year without singing at least one Jewish song, and I have never once been in a predominantly Jewish enviornment. I grew up very, very Christian.
The Hanukkah songs, though, were always by far my favorite. I always felt they were the prettiest sounding songs, and I really wish I could remember now what some of the song titles were. I might actually go out and attempt to find some CD(s) with Hanukkah music on it, even though I also love traditional Christmas music and always have. I miss the Hanukkah music, though. And if I'm going to keep listeing to Christian Christmas music when I am so not Christian anymore, why not find Hanukkah music to listen to as well?
I wouldn't even know where to look, though.
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I am a huge, obsessive fan of the Coen Brothers. They're Jewish?
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