The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is on the front line of the counter-revolution.

JEWS SAY IT’S OK TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

On December 1st, there will be a press conference convened by Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C.; it begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Murrow Room. (For more information, call Bryan Rudnick at 561-499-3201.)

In attendance will be the organization’s president, Don Feder, as well as Michael Horowitz from the Hudson Institute, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the president of Toward Tradition, and Rabbi Yehuda Levin of Jews for Morality; entertainer Jackie Mason will speak via conference call.

Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation was organized to combat anti-Christian bias in government, the news media, Hollywood, public education, and from activist groups (see www.jews4fairness.org).

In a recent column, Don Feder wrote, “The secularist assault on Christmas (unwittingly aided by the perpetually aggrieved and sensitivity-whipped) is one front in the war on America’s Judeo-Christian heritage.” Similarly, Rabbi Lapin has said, “Christianizing the culture is not the problem for Jews, secularizing it is.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue weighed in on this matter today:

“Christians have no better friends in the Jewish community than the group Don Feder will assemble tomorrow in Washington, D.C. Totally secure in their own religion, they have complete respect for Christianity. And they are scrupulously fair: they know that the war on Christmas is not only unjust, it is against the best interests of all Americans. That is because our liberties spring not from government, but from God. Ergo, attempts by radical secularists must be resisted with vigor if our heritage is to be preserved.

“I urge all those in the media to be present at this extraordinary press conference tomorrow.”


LANDS’ END NEUTERS CHRISTMAS

When the Catholic League got a tip from one of its members that Lands’ End refuses to use the word “Christmas” in its catalog—even though it sells Christmas items—we verified its authenticity. Printed below is part of the reply we received from Merlin W. Gorsline in the Customer Relations Department to an inquiry we made regarding the refusal of Lands’ End to mention the word “Christmas”:

“We find ourselves in a difficult position with this issue. As a result, we have adopted the ‘holiday’ terminology as a way to comply with one of the basic freedoms granted to all Americans: freedom of religion. We recognize that Christmas is a Christian holiday, and one of the foremost teachings of the Christian faith is a love for one’s fellowman—no matter what his race, religion or creed.

“If we knew which customers feel as you do, we would be delighted to send them catalogs with ‘Merry Christmas’ splashed throughout the pages. However, we don’t.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

“Freedom of religion is an important constitutional right, but to say that fidelity to that right demands that retailers censor the term Christmas at Christmastime wouldn’t even be believed by the judges from the Ninth Circuit. Nor is it good customer relations to tell Christians who desire to buy Christmas gifts at Christmastime that they are a loveless bunch of bigots who have an impoverished understanding of their own religion.

“And it’s not as though the decision to neuter Christmas is done to protect Jewish sensibilities: the company doesn’t sell Hanukkah gifts, but it does sell Christmas gifts (108 of them).

“Lands’ End says that if it knew who to send a ‘Merry Christmas’ catalog to, it would. So do it: contact landsend@landsend.com right away.”