Holiday season again. Hanukkah has come and gone with constant reminders of what Jewishness means, even in 2023: oppression. I hear it on the police scanner every night: people coming to the Jewish neighborhood in my city and screaming "Death to the Jews." However, I strongly suspect almost every Jewish person in this city is against the horrible things being done over there, and there is no conflict in this city between Jews and Muslims. The director of one of our art museums tried to stir up some shit by canceling an exhibit of Islamic art, claiming it would somehow hurt the Jews of our city, only to be strongly rebuked by every rabbi (and imam) in town - and the exhibit was rescheduled.
There is no contradiction in being an atheist and condemning religious prejudice. In fact, as unbelievers, we are the best situated to recognize it.
Speaking of apparent contradictions, I created a Christmas playlist on Youtube Music this year featuring all the old songs from my childhood (of which many, in turn, were also the old songs from my father's childhood). This way I don't have to lug around my laptop anymore for when I want to listen to Christmas music. The music was the soundtrack to many of my most memorable days as a child, and it's very important to me to share it with my kids. They don't have any idea what the songs are about, as far as I know; they just associate the music with this time of year.
