Ho, ho — no.
A Middle East expert and longtime resident was axed from his position as his small Long Island community’s Santa Claus this year after he blasted representatives of a Jewish organization for spreading “propaganda” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ken Dorph, a longtime resident of Sag Harbor, had been growing out his beard for the Chamber of Commerce’s Visit with Santa Claus — in which he would ride on board a fire truck to the village’s iconic windmill, where he would greet young children on Dec. 9.
But just three days before the event, Dorph, 70, received an email from the president of the Chamber of Commerce, telling him he was relieved of his duties, the New York Times reports.
She did not offer any explanation for the abrupt change in plans, only telling Dorph he was too outspoken for the role.
But apparently when word got out that Dorph would play Santa, members of a local synagogue started bombarding event organizers with emails objecting to his selection as jolly old St. Nick.
They claimed he made people uncomfortable during a Nov. 30 talk at the synagogue about the war in Israel when he sharply criticized speakers from the American Jewish Committee — a nonprofit advocacy group that supports Jewish people and Israel — from his seat in the audience.
“He was very antagonistic, belittling them,” said Rona Klopman, 85, a member of the temple who attended the event virtually but was not involved in the email campaign.
“I could see why people would not be comfortable with him as Santa, who is supposed to be this jolly fellow trying to keep peace in the world,” she told the Times.
At the event, titled “Answering Tough Questions on Israel,” Dorph frequently voiced his frustration with the American Jewish Committee’s hour-long presentation, according to a video obtained by the Times.
He emphasized that he was heartbroken by the war with Hamas and “desperately wanted it to end,” but objected to the speakers’ characterizations of several topics — including the exact wording of Hamas’ charter and the relevance of the West Bank settlements to the current conflict.
Everything reportedly came to a head during a question-and-answer session, when Dorph cried out: “Honestly, you two could have just been propaganda for the Netanyahu government. I am appalled.”
Some audience members were left visibly shaken, while the speakers tried to politely but sternly engage with Dorph — who has spent more than four decades working in the Middle East as a consultant in the financial sector.
Dorph later acknowledged he should have just left the synagogue when he became upset with what he was hearing, but said he had expected a forum for debate given the title of the presentation.
Instead, he said, it felt more like a workshop designed to equip pro-Israel advocates with responses to difficult questions they might face.
“I never said a curse word or stood up or threatened anyone, but it was hot under the collar, and I regret that,” Dorph told the Times.
In the aftermath, Ellen Dioguardi, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said she received 11 emails from synagogue members asking her to “find a different Santa” — the most complaints the chamber had ever received.
Some parents even claimed they would not come to the event if Dorph were involved.
Amid the backlash, Dioguardi told the Times: “We were able to find an anonymous Santa Claus free of distraction, and had a great event focused on the simple joy and wonder that is the holiday season.”
But Dorph still seems to be irked by the change of plans.
“I did feel ambushed … and of course, I am deeply disappointed by those who thought that canceling Santa — behind my back — was a valid response to my speaking out against the AJC propaganda (which it was),” he wrote on Facebook.
“I would have preferred to continue this discussion over drinks.”
He added that “a reporter who saw a video of the interchange at the temple said that it was ‘less heated than the average Sag Harbor [Zoning Board of Appeals] meeting,’ but of course we know that in the Hamptons, questioning variances for pools and pickleball courts raises emotions akin to accusations of ethnic cleansing.”
Dorph told the Times he now hopes to educate people about Arab cultures, perhaps by creating a website or a podcast.
He also said he was proud to stand out in the community of under 3,000 residents — among other things as a gay, white father of two adopted black children.
Dorph then went on to point out that this was not the first time St. Nick lost his job,
“In ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ Santa was canceled because he was drunk,” Dorph said, referring to the classic Christmas movie.
“I was canceled because I said something in a completely independent setting.”