Merry Jewish Christmas: How Chinese food and the movies became a time-honored tradition for American Jews

Photo credit: RDNE Stock project via Pexels. Article by Samira Mehta. The Conversation – December 8, 2025.

There is a meme that circulates every holiday season, an image of a sign in a restaurant window. “The Chinese Restaurant Association of the United States would like to extend our thanks to the Jewish people,” it says. “We do not completely understand your dietary customs … but we are proud and grateful that your GOD insists you eat our food on Christmas.”

Is the sign real? Perhaps not; the fact-checking site Snopes found no evidence of the association even existing. But the joke’s popularity points to a tradition cherished by many American Jews – Chinese food on Christmas. […]

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