Bet you never imagined these Jewish connections to the holiday. Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM AppleTree Editor T his month, in honor of Thanksgiving, AppleTree provides a collection of facts that link Judaism and Thanksgiving words: d What would Thanksgiving be without the Pilgrims? Long before those men and women set foot in America, however, Jews were mak- ing their own journeys. The "Three Pilgrim Festivals," or Shalosh Regelim, refer to the holi- days of Passover, Sukkot and Shavuot. On these days, the Torah states, (in Deuteronomy 16:16 and Exodus 23:17), Jews are to travel and make a donation to charity in God's honor. Initially, the pilgrimages were made to Shiloh, then to Jerusalem. The tradition continues to this day as travelers from throughout Israel, and even the world, make an effort to visit Jerusalem (and especially the Kotel) during Pesach, Sukkot or Shavuot. I The first census of the Jewish community in the republic of Turkey was in 1927. The popula- tion: 81,454 (in a nation of some 13.5 million citizens), the vast majority of whom lived in Istanbul. This figure decreased dramatically in 1948, when Turkish Jews rushed to live in the new State of Israel. I One of the Dead Sea Scrolls also is known as the "Thanksgiving Psalms." The theme is, of course, gratitude to God, and it is written in the form of a poem. Scholars do not believe that this was part of a service in the Holy Temple, but rather that the material was used in a more private manner. Most people don't know it, but there is a difference between a sweet potato and a yam. Which is best for Thanksgiving dinner has yet to be debated by the rabbis, but consider this: In Hebrew, there is a word yam (pronounced "yahm"). It means sea, and the most popular seas in Israel, like the sweet potato and the yam, offer a bit of confusion when it comes to exactly what they are. Yam HaMelach is literally "the sea of salt," though we know it as the Dead Sea; Yam Sufis lit- erally "the sea of reeds," though we know it as the Red Sea. You can't make turkey stuffing without sage, and you can't have Judaism without sages. Sages, in Hebrew, is chachamim, and while we use it loosely to refer to any wise Jewish scholar, the greatest time of sages was from the beginning of the Second Temple to its destruction. The term "sage" from this period includes every- one from-scribes to mystics to heads of Jewish academies. I The first Jewish newspaper printed in the Spanish language was Puerta del Oriente, published in 1846 in Turkey. I If you're one of the many who enjoy today's version of the B-film (or worse), no doubt you're familiar with the works of the incomparable Meshulim Riklis. Riklis got his start as a fin- ancier in the business world, then branched out into the movie industry, where he met and married and divorced the actress Pia Zadora, who appeared in some of his unforgettable films. Riklis was born in Turkey in 1923. g Want to thank someone who has done something nice for you recent- ly? Say todah rabbah. That's "thank you very much" in Hebrew. And now, some Jewish connections to those food extras you might find in your favorite Thanksgiving fare: Walnuts: If You're the type who likes to add nuts to your turkey stuff- ing, take a look at Shir HaShirim, the Song of THANKSGIVING on page 42 11 / 21 2003 41