And now I know you know that I dont know!
Oh this is the most fun I’ve had in ages (ok… actually since five minutes ago playing Mario Galaxy on the Wii!)
Dude, calm down. He probably has a picture of his kid’s bar mitzvah on his desk.
Nope - he’s Jewish because his name ends in “stein”. But I’ve decided that the prospect of levdrakon committing a hilarious and offensive faux pas is worth more than my peace of mind, so I won’t say anything.
To me, it’s like wishing a person “Happy Kwanzaa” just because that person is black. There are a lot of black people who don’t celebrate Kwanzaa, and while the assumption isn’t offensive, it may make someone feel uncomfortable.
He may have a Jewish last name but be non-practicing. Or he may not be Jewish, despite the last name.
As PC as it sounds, I think Happy Holidays works just as well as Happy Specific Holiday.
Sshhhh! I had a camera set up! I was going to put it on YouTube! Jeez, you’re going to ruin the comedy!
Touche.
c’mon c’mon
Damn, I’m glad I put that qualifier in. Apparently, they all post at the straight dope.
I used to think I was Jewish because my grandfather had this funny German name. Apparently there’s more to it than that. They have this whole culture & religion & everything. Who knew?
Will I get mad? No. Will I sigh to myself, internally, when people who definitely know that I’m an observant Jew wish me a Merry Christmas? Yes. Wishing me a happy Chanukah now, more than two weeks after the holiday is over, would be only slightly less tin-eared, but I’d take it in the spirit in which it was offered. Still, it’d be like wishing you a happy new year on January 16th or so - what’s the point? I’m really quite OK with the fact that unlike much of the rest of the population around me, I did not have a major holiday two days ago; you don’t need to go rooting among past minor Jewish celebrations to try to make me feel better/included.
Perhaps his full name is McSorley Witzburgstein and in fact his mother is Black Irish and his father is Reconstructionist Reformed and they raised him Quaker.
Tut tut, never assume. We all know what it makes. 
My family name is one of the 12 Tribes of Israel and these days I cannot figure out what the hell I am.
Why do you think anyones “trying to make you feel better/included?” They’re just wishing you well. Why would you take offense at that? Do you “sigh internally” when someone says “Good morning” and it’s 12:30 pm?
I had no idea these attitudes actually existed. I thought they were all made up by Bill O’Reilly and his ilk to defame people who are concerned about government sponsored religion. I guess I owe Bill an apology.
I’m not offended, per se, and I’m certainly not likely to start ranting about it on television, or here, for that matter. I appreciate that people are trying to be nice. It’s just that I’m fine with somebody wishing me a good morning, or a happy new year (hey, that’s seasonal and reasonably secular). You don’t have to grasp for a specific religious thing upon which to peg it - I don’t flail around and wish people a happy Labor Day three weeks after the fact so they won’t feel left out during Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur/Sukkot in the fall.
Hey, let’s be fair to the guy. I have a neighbor who decided I was Jewish because I mentioned in passing that I don’t eat shrimp. :rolleyes:
Not only that, but he felt this discovery was important enough that he started informing the rest of the neighborhood about it. Leaving me to explain that I am in fact a veteran of Catholic schooling, my last name is from the backwaters of Austria, and the nose is just preposterously Teutonic, thanks for asking.
i just don’t like shrimp.
Wait a minute. Frankenstein is JEWISH?
I dunno, but if he’s a lawyer in florida and shows up in google searches being active in the local Jewish community I’m willing to wing it.
That’s Fronkensteen.
Many people believe that Hanukkah always overlaps Christmas. If I get wished a “Happy Hanukkah” in late December during years when Hanukkah is earlier, it really doesn’t bother me; I understand that many are confused about the dates of Jewish holidays, so I accept it in the spirit that it was intended. Still, you know better, which is why you’re asking. I wouldn’t say “Merry Christmas” to a Christian on January 3rd. Send a card without any Christmas or other religious references, wish a “Happy Holidays”, and check your calendar next year.
FTR, since it seems to be flying right over this thread:
It helps if you KNOW THE PERSON IS ACTUALLY JEWISH.
Now this may be my own personal experience, but I used to work in investment banking for 7 years. I had a lot of colleagues that were Jewish. Most were the most non-religious, irrerevant, agnostic, assimilated people you could know. Eg, nothing about them, including often the last name, would point to any tribal affiliation whatsoever. that said, come passover and the chance to get a half day off work, they would "out "themselves as the most pious observant religious observers on the planet. That may have been limited to my own personal experience, and the vast majority of said individuals were from New York and working in the capital markets. But I don’t think it would be out of line to wish a Happy Hanukah (especially if reasonably close to the date).
Coming at it from a slightly different angle, on x-mas I overheard that a friend of my wife’s friend considered it a tremendous insult to receive a card or greeting wishing her a Merry Christmas. Now, I know she is Jewish, but another guy in this same circle said “How would anyone know?” Especially if it were someone just meeting her on the street, thinking he was innocently wishing her seasonal greetings. This person felt very strongly that the default greeting should be “Happy Holidays.” It kind of bothers me that a person like this is so hung up about their religious choices, that they feel the rest of us should restrain ourselves from celebrating holidays in the manner we choose.
Our family is as atheist as they come. But we celebrate Christmas. And I have a number of Jewish friends who do as well. Our Christmas card is generally a photo of our kids. My wife chooses the border that best matches the paper she chooses for our annual letter. It just so happens that this year the nicest looking border carried the words “Merry Christmas.”
So for this particular shrew, my wife used a black marker to prominently cross out those offensive words, and scrawl in “Happy Hanukkah!” I hear the woman loved it. Me, I probably would have just sent the card as is to piss her off, or perhaps crossed out the “Christ” with a big “X-”. Ah, who am I kidding. I simply would have crossed her off my list.