Views To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 29200 Northwestern Highway, #110, Southfield, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Hwy., #110, Southfield, MI 48034. 8 | DECEMBER 12 • 2019 1942 - 2019 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week jn Arthur M. Horwitz Executive Editor/Publisher ahorwitz@renmedia.us F. Kevin Browett Chief Operating Officer kbrowett@renmedia.us | Editorial Associate Editor: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@renmedia.us Story Development Editor: Keri Guten Cohen kcohen@renmedia.us Digital Editor: Allison Jacobs ajacobs@renmedia.us Multimedia Reporter: Corrie Colf ccolf@renmedia.us Staff Photographer/Videographer: Derrick Martinez dmartinez@renmedia.us Social Media Coordinator: Chelsie Dzbanski cdzbanski@renmedia.us Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@renmedia.us Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin2132@gmail.com Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar rsklar@renmedia.us Contributing Editor: David Sachs Contributing Arts Editor: Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman@renmedia.us Contributing Writers: Jenna Anderson, Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Shari S. Cohen, Ben Falik, Louis Finkelman, Stacy Gittleman, Judy Greenwald, Ronelle Grier, Lynne Konstantin, Barbara Lewis, Carla Schwartz, Alice Burdick Schweiger, Mike Smith Advertising Sales Vice President of Sales and Business Development: Carol Kruemmer ckruemmer@renmedia.us Sales Manager: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives: Kelsey Cocke, Annette Kizy | Business Office Operations Manager: Andrea Gusho agusho@renmedia.us Operations Assistant / Event Coordinator: Ashlee Szabo Circulation: Danielle Smith Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner | Production By Farago & Associates Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Jessica Joannides, Kelly Kosek, Michelle Sheridan | Detroit Jewish News Partner: Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Partner: F. Kevin Browett kbrowett@renmedia.us Partner: Michael H. Steinhardt How to reach us: See page 10. S ymbolic objects convey meaning without words. A Christmas tree, for example, speaks. What does it say? Once, in Northern Europe, people had a Yule log that spoke about Norse mythol- ogy. Christmas trees in America do not say anything about Norse mythol- ogy. Later, the Christians who conquered Europe repur- posed the trees as symbols of Christianity. Taking an ever- green tree into your house in winter, when all other trees in the northern temperate zone have no leaves, now demonstrated Christian faith. Christmas trees in America say that for some Americans; but some secular Americans — and some Jews — also have trees, without that faith. So what does a Christmas tree in a Jewish home say? For most of our history, Jews around the world have lived in someone else’ s home- land. It takes psychic effort not to join the majority. In the 1950s, a psychologist named Solomon Asch mea- sured the temptation to con- form to the majority. He ran a test, supposedly a vision test, asking subjects to pick out the longest of three lines. People did that with 98 percent accu- racy. He then presented the lines to a group and asked each person to announce the longest line. The diabolical part: He had “confederates” in the group who answered incorrectly. The real subject of the experiment answered after the confederates. If three or more people had already chosen a short line, the sub- ject often agreed with group about one third of the time. Although nearly everyone could quietly write the correct answer, only about quarter of the subjects could answer cor- rectly out loud every time. It takes significant effort not to conform. I suspect a Christmas tree in a Jewish home says, “The folks who live here do not feel up to being different.” Maybe they think, “We could do with- out the tree; it is for the children. Why should they have to be different? Just let them fit in. Anyway, who wants to explain why we do not celebrate Christmas?” Maybe the tree in a Jewish household says that the folks here love the traditions of American Christmas, sup- porting the retail economy by purchasing cards, toys and small household devices. I do not think so. I think it says, we do not have the energy not to conform. Jews exist in the modern world because our ancient and medieval predecessors had the energy not to conform. Louis Finkelman is a JN contributing writer, a professor at Lawrence Technological University and a rabbi at Congregation Or Chadash. Louis Finkelman Contributing Writer essay A Christmas Tree Says Something of cor-