PASSED OVER

                                                             
                                                                HAPPY PASSOVER

It is a constant source of sadness to me the amount of anti-Semitic references I encounter in my small community. 

In a class today, because I'm known to have songs for many occasions, a classmate asked if I knew a song for Passover.  I began singing Dayenu.  Listen below to a good version:

Then I laughingly asked, "Isn't it amazing that the most popular--not the most religious--Easter and Christmas songs were written by Jews?" Another classmate asked, "Which ones?" I answered, Easter Parade and White Christmas by Irving Berlin and  The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)" by Mel Torme." I continued and said, "I love to sing Easter Parade just to be able to say Rotogravure.", which, of course I had to demonstrate.

In what had been an enjoyable conversation, another woman in the group spoke up and made a remark about how terrible it was that the Jews hadn't accepted Jesus.

I asked, "Why is it terrible?"

She was momentarily flummoxed but soon responded, "They'll be going to Hell." I answered, "But THEY don't believe in Hell." She looked positively bewildered and said she didn't believe me.  I said, "Perhaps you should study some."  Obviously insulted, she said, angrily, "I DO study." I said, "Obviously you haven't studied the Bible."

She said, angrily, "I know MY Bible."  I answered, "Perhaps you're confusing the Bible with the New Testament, as it's called." She said, "They're the same thing and what do you mean by saying as it's so-called?" I answered, "But, of course, I DID not say so-called, I said 'as it's called', but they are NOT the same thing; the Bible is the Bible and the New Testament is the New Testament."

As oftentimes happens in a heated discussion, she began using ad hominem remarks, instead of relying on logic.

She said, dismissively, and with an air of superiority, "I'll just pray for them." I countered with, "They don't need or want YOUR prayers; why don't you just do as Jesus said and pray ye in your own closet?"  She asked, "Where do you get off telling me that?" I said, "Somebody SHOULD be telling you."

She said, "It's none of your business." 

I answered, "EXACTLY, just as it's none of YOUR business what the Jews do!"