Do Jewish People Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is a festival that is observed at the conclusion of the harvest season to express gratitude to god for all of his favors and provisions. Even though it is observed in Canada and a number of other nations, Thanksgiving is largely a holiday that is celebrated in the United States and takes place on…
Thanksgiving is a festival that is observed at the conclusion of the harvest season to express gratitude to god for all of his favors and provisions. Even though it is observed in Canada and a number of other nations, Thanksgiving is largely a holiday that is celebrated in the United States and takes place on the last Thursday of the month of November.
Even though Thanksgiving is not a religious festival in and of itself, the celebration of this holiday has stirred up controversy among the Jewish community. This argument sheds light on the difficult balance that American Jews maintain between their Jewish and American identities.
Do Jewish People Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving, unlike other festivals such as Halloween, has secular beginnings and overtones, thus halacha does not forbid Jewish involvement in the occasion. This is due to the fact that Thanksgiving celebrates a harvest festival. The Torah forbids Jews to participate in “gentile customs,” which is a ban that derives from Leviticus 18:3, yet the majority of Jews do not believe Thanksgiving to be in this category.
