Christmas is not widely celebrated in Israel because the country is majority Jewish, with a population that does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, making it a regular workday rather than a national holiday. While Arab Christians and some others celebrate, the nation's cultural and legal calendar is based on Judaism.
Because almost 75% population of Israel is Jews (the followers of Judaism) and Christmas is not a Jewish festival. They consider Jesus just as the king of Nazareth, but not God. Meanwhile Jews has own festivals. Purim, Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah are one of them.
Also, there are some intermarried families with a Jewish parent who embrace Christmas. Although, by and large, Jewish people do not celebrate or embrace the Christmas holiday. It is considered taboo, much like the person of Jesus himself.
Jews celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, because it commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt against Greek rule, symbolizing perseverance of Jewish identity and religious freedom, not because they are choosing it over Christmas, which celebrates Jesus' birth. While both are winter holidays, Hanukkah's significance stems from a Jewish historical victory and miracle (a small oil supply lasting eight days), whereas Christmas is central to Christianity.
Why Israelites Don't Celebrate Christmas? - Jewish Teachings For All
What do Muslims believe instead of Christmas?
While Muslims do not celebrate Christmas, they have their sacred occasions like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, cementing gratitude, religious devotion, and the care of others.
Many Jews view Christians as having quite an ambivalent view of the Torah and the laws contained in it: on one hand, Christians speak of it as God's absolute word, but on the other, they apply its commandments with a certain selectivity.
Here at Jews for Jesus we have a saying: “Christmas is a Jewish holiday—or at least it should be.” After all, it's a celebration of the birth of the Jewish Messiah! The holiday season presents distinct challenges for those of us who are Jewish and profess faith in Messiah Yeshua.
Many Jewish people believe that Jesus was a rabbi, a teacher, or even a prophet but that He never claimed to be the Messiah. They believe that it was His followers who deified Him and claimed He was the Messiah.
There is nothing wrong with wishing a non-Jewish neighbors “Merry Christmas,” just as it would not be a betrayal for them to wish you “Shabbat Shalom” when leaving work on Friday afternoon.
Adam Zeidan is an Assistant Managing Editor, having joined Encyclopædia Britannica in 2018. He covers a range of topics related primarily to the Middle East and North Africa. Christmas is traditionally a Christian festival, with markedly Christian teachings, and so Muslims do not typically celebrate the holiday.
The Christian population in Gaza has dropped by nearly half since 2023. But with a ceasefire in place, Christmas will be celebrated once again. BEIRUT — For the first time in three years, the Gaza Strip's tiny Christian community is celebrating Christmas without the immediate threat of war.
Jews believe Jesus did not fulfill messianic prophecies that establish the criteria for the coming of the Messiah. Judaism does not accept Jesus as a divine being, an intermediary between humans and God, a messiah, or holy.
And last year, in the face of a legal challenge from Hiddush, the chief rabbinate backed down on threats to revoke the kosher certificates of businesses that celebrate Christmas. But while the ban on Christmas trees has been formally lifted, in practice it is still widely enforced, according to Bogomolny.
You can bond by playing games, watching movies, or just simply relaxing with each other. It is also a common tradition among Jews on Christmas to go out for Chinese food, as many Chinese restaurants remain open. This is fun to do with your friends and family, and you can enjoy a delicious meal.
Since only 2.5% of the country's population are Christians and Christmas is not one of Israel's holidays, Christmas is not a common holiday in Israel, this is due to the fact that the country was set up around Judaism, not Christianity.
You can say something like “People who celebrate Christmas believe in Santa; we don't believe in Santa, but we have our own fun traditions.” (I have yet to think of a Jewish figure that's equivalent to Santa, but if anyone comes up with something, I'm all ears.)
Therefore, in Romans 10:1, Paul says his “heart's desire and . . . prayer to God” for the Jewish people is that they might be saved. Jewish people worship the same God but in an incomplete way. They still need to know Jesus and experience forgiveness by believing in Him.
There are many common aspects between Islam and Judaism. As Islam developed it gradually became the major religion closest to Judaism, both of them being strictly monotheist religious traditions originating in a Semitic Middle Eastern culture.
Why some scholars say it is haram • Islam teaches pure monotheism (Tawḥīd). Christmas celebrates doctrines such as Jesus being the son of God, which Islam clearly rejects. Congratulating a religious festival can be understood as approving or affirming those beliefs, even if unintentionally.
As Muslims, we follow prophetic traditions – Sunnah and the Quran, which don't mention celebrating birthdays, including that of Jesus or our beloved Prophet Muhammad. For Muslims, true honor lies in following a prophet's teachings, not commemorating specific dates of birth.
Both Sura 19:16–35 and Sura 3:45–59 report God's annunciation to Mary, the birth of her son and his deeds in such a manner that Jesus becomes a 'sign to all people' and a sign of God's 'blessing' (Sura 19:21).
