Federal agencies were very explicit in their Dec. 25 holiday greetings to the public, celebrating “the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” in a message issued by the White House. It contrasts sharply with previous administrations that avoided specific references to the defining figure of Christianity.
“Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted. The Department of Labor shared an image of carolers in front of a church with the caption “Let Earth Receive Her King.” The agency did not share whether the image was a painting or the work of AI.
A video from the Department of Homeland Security declared, “We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior,” with videos of nativity scenes, children opening presents, and images of the president.
Putting aside the sectarian message of this administration, my children were curious why it is a public holiday when the First Amendment begins with the words “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” I explained that with the majority of the country observing this holiday, keeping banks, government offices, and public schools closed is a practical matter. This public holiday is also in recognition of popular sentiments in the same manner as public schools being closed on Yom Kippur and alternate parking being suspended on Lunar New Year.
“Christmas celebrations are pervasive in America, and, except when the government is being used to promote religious beliefs, these celebrations are entirely constitutional,” the American Civil Liberties Union notes on its website. The organization has a long history of waging legal battles to maintain the separation between government and religion.
Historically, Orthodox Jews in America are less troubled by overt displays of the Christian holiday, feeling that in a religious society, their ability to maintain an observant lifestyle would be respected by the majority faith. For this reason, in Supreme Court cases relating to religious practices in public spaces, the Orthodox Union and Agudath Israel often appeared on amicus briefs that opposed arguments submitted by Reform and Conservative groups, and secular organizations such as the American Jewish Congress and the Anti-Defamation League.
Policies that allow for churches to be built without consideration of zoning laws also benefit shuls, mikvahs, yeshivahs, and cemeteries. A menorah in a public space has the same status as a nativity display. Vouchers, tax exemptions, and public funding benefiting parochial schools also benefit yeshivahs.
Somehow, this year’s Dec. 25 holiday greetings by the president felt different. Perhaps because a week earlier at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest gathering, the brand of Christianity being promoted by some of the prominent speakers was not about brotherhood or support for Israel, but a nationalist faith exemplified by Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and Jack Posobiec. The latter individual shared a photo alongside a participant wearing a hoodie mocking the Holocaust. He later appeared on stage with Megyn Kelly clutching a rosary in an expression of his Catholic faith.
“Here’s the lowlife Jack Posobiec pals around with. This is why Hack Jack is widely condemned. NOT because of his faith,” conservative writer Mark Levin tweeted. “That’s HIS repulsive deflective propaganda. Hack Jack has a long record of Woke Reichism.”
Posobiec accused Levin of attacking him for his Christian faith, and Kelly wrote about praying with the rosary given to her by Posobiec.
On stage at the Arizona gathering, Ben Shapiro spoke against antisemites in politically conservative spaces.
“If you host a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse like Nick Fuentes,” Shapiro told the AmericaFest crowd, “if you have that person on your show and you proceed to glaze him, you ought to own it.”
Many participants jeered Shapiro as “Israel first,” mocking his Jewish faith. Vice President JD Vance seemed to oppose Shapiro’s characterization of certain participants.
“President Trump did not build the greatest coalition in politics by running his supporters through endless, self-defeating purity tests,” Vance told the crowd. “We have far more important work to do than canceling each other.”
As the holiday displays come down, the debate on the extent to which the United States is a Christian nation will continue. Likewise, when political conservatives speak of Judeo-Christian values, to what extent are Jewish concepts included in conservative policies and discourse?
The harsh responses to Levin and Shapiro concerning Holocaust mockery and demonization of Israel by right-wing voices should not be separated from the government’s strident promotion of Christianity in its messaging. At its core, Christianity condemns nonbelievers to eternal damnation, which is irreconcilable with Judaism’s view that there are righteous people among the gentiles.
For good reasons, the government’s role in religion is historically parve, recognizing a nonsectarian G-d, recommending that chaplains deliver universal messages at public functions, and while miracles are a matter of faith, prophets can be included in public school curricula as historical figures. To explicitly speak of the “Lord and Savior” on a governmental account is to invite divisions in society that are preventable.
Note: In Orthodox Jewish publications, the name of Christianity’s defining figure is often omitted or substituted as “Yoshka.” It appears here only for the purpose of accurately quoting the individuals in the story. That name is troubling to Orthodox Jews as it is one of the elements in the Trinity, the Christian concept that G-d has specific representations, which Judaism emphatically rejects.