Thanksgiving

My grandfather, Dr. Ben M. Edidin, was a Jewish educator in New York who wrote books about Judaism and Israel. By the way, one of his books, written in 1940, was called Rebuilding Palestine, because at that time, there was no such thing as a Palestinian, but if there were, that person was Jewish. But that’s a different (though very relevant) topic.

One of his other books was called Jewish
Holidays and Festivals. As an immigrant from Russia, my
grandfather loved America and was grateful that he
could come here. So in this book on Jewish holidays, he
had a chapter about Thanksgiving.
He noted that Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621
by the Pilgrims, and that their very name came from the

Biblical custom of pilgrimage, one of which was Sukkot,
the harvest holiday of thanksgiving.
For us, the concept of thankfulness is a core religious
value; gratitude is a central theme in Jewish tradition,
woven throughout prayers, holidays, and daily life. The
very word Judaism contains the Hebrew word “todah”
means “thank you.” The theme of gratitude is prominent
in prayers such as the “Modeh Ani,” recited upon waking,
and the “Birkat Hamazon,” the grace after meals.
The holiday is an opportunity to blend American and
Jewish identities by expressing gratitude for freedom,
prosperity, and the ability to practice Judaism openly in
America.
We embrace Thanksgiving as a secular national holiday,
finding ways to honor both our Jewish heritage and
American identity.
My grandfather was right; Thanksgiving is a very Jewish
holiday.
Rabbi Scolni