Spelling the Christians

Milwaukee Bartender John Volpe Jr.* has not had a Christmas Eve off duty since 1956. This year he will spend the evening with his family. Taking over for him behind the bar will be a salesman named Albert Rosen.

Rosen, a Jew, had placed an ad in local newspapers offering to fill in for a Christian who wished to spend Christmas Eve at home. Although Christmas is increasingly a nondenominational festival (see ESSAY, page 33), other Milwaukee Jews joined in the holiday spirit when they learned of Rosen's gesture. Some 300 members of Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun volunteered to take over jobs with which they were reasonably familiar so that Christians could have the evening off.

* No kin to the Secretary of Transportation.

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