Author Talk: The Great Christmas Boycott of 1906
Hosted By: Haberman Institute
The Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies presents a session on the 1906 Jewish boycott of New York City public school Christmas pageants, sparked when a Brooklyn Presbyterian principal urged his Jewish students to be more like Jesus Christ. Jewish activist Albert Lucas accused the public schools of illegal proselytizing and demanded limits on religious content, and after the Board of Education declined to clarify the rules, widespread student absences spurred policy changes and an enormous antisemitic public backlash. The session traces how this early protest against Christian nationalism shaped the Jewish community’s long-term efforts to challenge religious influence in public life, and follows the Christmas celebration dispute to the present day.
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