The decision to reject a Hadash Knesset member’s request to have a Christmas tree put up at the entrance to the parliament building was because of negative connotations the holiday symbol has for Jews, Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein said last Thursday. Edelstein announced that he had turned down a request from Hadash MK Hanna Sweid, to place a Christmas tree on prominent display, saying “it was inappropriate.” On Thursday, Edelstein told Israel Radio the tree would dredge up bitter memories for Jews, and suggested there were other ways to send a seasonal greeting to Christians in Israel.

A Palestinian child in a Santa hat confronts Israeli soldiers during the weekly demonstration against the separation wall in the West Bank village of Al Ma’sara, December 20, 2013. If completed as planned, the Israeli barrier would cut off Al Ma’sara from its agricultural lands (Photo: Activestills)

He also denounced Communist and Arab MKs for “constantly testing the limits of the Jewish state.” Edelstein said that if he had agreed to put up the tree, the next day there would have “been a request to display a cross and a crescent alongside the symbolic menorah in the Knesset.” Sweid had asked that the tree be placed in a visible part of the Knesset, saying it would be “a gesture toward Christian members of Knesset and citizens of Israel, and a symbol of [Israel’s] ties to the Christian world generally.” Later that day, Swaid lamented that Edelstein’s response “didn’t even explain the decision,” and suggested the speaker had faced pressure from right-wing Jewish groups. “I heard a right-wing Jewish Home MK say the Christmas tree symbolizes Christian persecution of Jews throughout all time. I think that’s foolishness, it’s crazy,” Sweid said.

“I’m very disappointed at this response,” Sweid told The Times of Israel website on Sunday. “I don’t need to ask permission to place a Christmas tree in my private room. The expectation was that the speaker would respond to the core of my request, to highlight the pluralism and multiculturalism of the Knesset as an institution that represents all parts of the population.” Last week, Sweid noted that the Knesset sometimes recognizes non-Jewish religious events and symbols, including hosting an annual Iftar meal, a ceremonial feast following the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. “How can a Christmas tree do harm to the State of Israel? I think this would have been a net gain,” he said.

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