Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas (2017) – a musical documentary
December 18th, 2021 by Mr. C
This documentary was a fun take on how Jewish Americans have taken a tradition not their own & created something they can call their own encapsulated with song, dance, & chinese food!? I’m not Jewish but I have some friends who are (sounds like a racist intro) and if I shine a bright light in their face and interrogate them with questions including where were you on the night of December 25th Christmas Day most would probably tell me that they went to the movies during the day & at night they went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner! Hell (pardon the bad timing and usage of the word) that kinda describes my Christmas Day as a Chinese American!
Jews have a more important connection to Christmas in songs with familiar lyrics known to everyone such as chestnuts roasting in an open fire, let it snow, I’ll be home for Christmas, walking in the winter wonderland, Rudolph the red nose reindeer, white Christmas, & many many more songs that were written by Jewish composers! Jews were not considered & treated as white nor black, but were regarded more as orientals when they landed in New York harbor in the 18th century and started creating a new life in the tenements of the lower east side of Manhattan. The New York Jews were outsiders & foreigners initially because of language barriers so they created a tradition of their own! The children of these immigrants wanted to write a narrative or song (pun intended!) of their own.
When the Jewish wrote Christmas songs they weren’t writing them as an experience of being a Jew but as an outlet for being American. The songs created national unity, freedom of expression, and ultimately a way to provide food for their family while being true to themselves.
Some of the most entertaining parts of the film were when the workers of the Chinese restaurant started breaking out in song & dance with Christmas songs! Hey, this might make a great Broadway musical!
The Jewish & Chinese immigrant experience living in NYC probably has more parallels & similarities than differences especially when it’s Christmas Day. It was fun to see these two groups that are the same but different – mesh on this holy day! There’s definitely a superficial & commercial glow to Christmas but in the end it’s still a day to try & make people happy and feel that they belong. These Christmas songs provide a wonderful mood & soundtrack to this. Salute to Irving Berlin, Mel Tormé, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker, Johnny Marks & others I missed for these tunes!
What I gathered from the film was that Jewish Americans who created these instant classics were actually creating tunes of their heritage and experience as a Jew living in America for example “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” was really about accepting me as who I am regardless of how I look. There were hardships living in America as an immigrant so these songs & lyrics helped fuel a sense of belonging. The film elaborates on the importance of this song & the message behind it.
There’s no denying the power in these Christmas songs and we owe it all to these Jewish American composers! The lyrics are often melancholy & sad but still uplifting and provides a sight line for being hopeful & compassionate. Christmas is a day for inclusion regardless of ethnicity. It’s the American way!
Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas is quintessentially a reality of living the American dream. Recommended viewing especially for the holidays!
Tags: documentary, dreaming of a jewish christmas, jewish composers, les, new york city
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