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Jews And Thanksgiving

Opinions may vary about observance, but all agree that gratitude is a good thing.

Louis Finkelman

I Contributing Writer

I

n colonial America, from time to time,
a governor would proclaim a day of
thanksgiving, expressing gratitude to
God for surviving or prospering. In those
days, Thanksgiving had not yet become a
yearly event.
Even then, Thanksgiving was a govern-
ment holiday, proclaimed by the state
to encourage a religious attitude in its
largely Christian citizenry. Does that make
Thanksgiving kosher for Jews?
The oldest Jewish congregation in
America, Congregation Shearith Israel,
thought so. Whenever the governor of New
York decided a day of Thanksgiving was
needed, Shearith Israel in New York City
(known as the Spanish and Portuguese
Synagogue), would adjust its prayers to
join in. That happened every time except
twice, when the governor called for spe-
cifically Christian prayers. Then Shearith
Israel respectfully declined to take part.
Thankgiving changed as a holiday dur-
ing the Lincoln administration. Sarah
Josepha Hale, editor of the most popu-
lar women's magazine in America, had
advised one president after another to pro-
claim an annual day of Thanksgiving. She
finally succeeded in 1863, when President
Lincoln proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving
on the last Thursday in November in grati-
tude for the prosperity and strength of a
country at war. Sorry, Lincoln made no
mention of Pilgrims.
Like the leaders of Shearith Israel,
other Jews also enthusiastically joined
in Thanksgiving. An American holiday,
Thanksgiving does not belong to any reli-
gious denomination. Jews who would feel
squeamish about Christmas or Easter cel-
ebrations could join with other Americans
in celebrating this holiday.

VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES
The vast majority of American Jews feel at
home celebrating Thanksgiving.
"Thanksgiving is one of my favorite
holidays, a happy blend
of American and Jewish
ideals" says Larry
Berkove of Southfield.
"From my childhood
until the present, my
family has always cel-
ebrated it with a tradi-
tional dinner of turkey,
Larry Berkove
cranberry sauce and

14

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26. 2015

Turkey In Hebrew

The bird is native to America, not Asia, and yet in English we call eturkey." In most
other languages, including French and even Turkish, people call it some version of
"the Indian bird." So, too, in Hebrew: Tarnegolet hodu means "Indian chicken!' (The
Hebrew word for India, hodu, is related to English words like "Hindu" and "India" and
even "the Indus river.") The Hebrew word hodu also means "give thanks!' It is the first
word of Psalms 118:1 "Give thanks to God, for he is good," the perfect verse for the
holiday of Thanksgiving.

pumpkin pie. Since I started my
Not everyone has ideological
own family, I always remind those
reasons for unusual observances
around the table of its inner mean-
on Thanksgiving. Herschel
ing and that we are not offering
Gardin of Oak Park says,
thanks to the empty air"
"Coming from a European family
Berkove, a member of Young
— I'm first-generation American
Israel of Oak Park, stresses the reli-
— Thanksgiving was really a
gious significance of the festival.
foreign notion and not really
The religious theme that endears Hersch el
celebrated. However, growing up
Gardin
Thanksgiving to Berkove both-
in day school, which featured a
ers some Jews in the Orthodox
late-night Talmud class with sup-
community. They do not celebrate
per provided and sleep-away yeshivahs, I
Thanksgiving, noting its roots outside
thought of Thanksgiving as a hot-dog-on-
the Jewish tradition. One famous rabbi of
buns (with baked beans) treat night. I am
the previous generation, Rabbi Yitzhak
not sure if this choice of delicacy had some
Hutner, thought "the prohibition is simple
sort of hidden symbolism for those in
and obvious" that Jews should not do
charge and/or planned evening menus, but
Thanksgiving, "a gentile holiday"
we boys really liked it and looked forward
Rabbi Yosef Lange of Oak Park seems
to this menu.
less than enthusiastic about the traditional
"Our children also enjoyed hot dog
Thanksgiving because he finds it not
night whenever we made them, but knew
religious enough: "We, as Jews, must be
they were served on Thanksgiving. Our
thankful every day for what HaShem does
son, who was a chayal boded (a soldier
for us, and it is not a once-a-year event.
without local family) in the Israel Defense
Thanksgiving today has become a celebra-
Forces was provided with a tradition-
tion of eating with no religious purpose"
al Thanksgiving, hosted by the IDF for

Americans: turkey, corn, pumpkin pie, and
a play by Israeli soldiers about the pilgrims
and Indians. It was the first time he ever
experienced the full celebration, and he
was in a foreign country!"
It works well for Bobbie Lewis of Oak
Park that Hershel Gardin does not invest
in doing a traditional Thanksgiving feast.
Gardin, her mechutan (her daughter's
father-in-law) provides no competition
when she invites the younger generation
for the holiday "so his parents don't care
that he and my daughter and granddaugh-
ters are always with my family for the
holiday"
It takes planning and
compromise to do a
Thanksgiving dinner
across the kosher/non-
kosher divide, often with
beautiful results.
Sharon Krasner of
Oak Park says, "I look
Sharon Krasner forward to Thanksgiving
because it's pretty much
the only holiday I get to spend with my
siblings and their families. Because my
family is the only Orthodox one and we
don't drive on yom tovim, we can't get
together with them for the other holidays,
so it's usually Thanksgiving and Chanukah
for a big family meal"
Michelle Sider of
Huntington Woods and
her family find more of a
compromise.
"Because we are the
only family members
of our extended family
that keep kosher and
are shomer Shabbat, we
Michelle Sider
have worked out spe-
cific ways to share this
holiday together" she says. "We decided
that for family unity we would all make
adjustments so we could enjoy the holiday
together. Our family is incredibly accom-
modating, making a special kosher turkey
for our family and preparing some side
dishes that do not contain dairy.
"This attitude has been a wonderful
means of maintaining close family ties and
also works well for the vegan/lactose-intol-
erant/gluten-intolerant, etc., among us,
and has also been a great means of teach-
ing our kids about how to work together.
I really enjoy Thanksgiving and hope to
continue our family tradition for many
years to come" *

