Thanksgivukkah : Giving Thanks Jewish Style

We all know that Thanksgiving is an American holiday celebrated by families gathering together to eat a festive meal with turkey and TV. First the Macy's parade and then "the Football" game! As Jews we traditionally gather together to celebrate the Macabees military victory,the miracle of the oil and the restoration of the First Temple at Chanukah and give thanks at the fall festival of Sukkoth instead. This is the time of year though that we eat Latkes fried in oil and Sufganiyot (jelly filled donut poppers). It is indeed a rare event that both Chanukah and Thanksgiving fall on the same day :-)Statistically it happens once in a lifetime. So many questions have arisen this year about this combination holiday. Such as does the Turkey have to be Kosher ? (yes if you keep Kosher), do you stuff it with Challah bread crumbs or not ?(personal preference I think) are the latkes made from regular potatoes or sweet potatoes ? and finally do you bake the turkey or boil it in oil (if you are living in the southern US, like I do, frying your Turkey bird is commonplace!). If you are culturally Jewish and don't really celebrate any Jewish holiday usually are you going to make a big deal about this once in a lifetime event called "Thanksgivukkah" or not? Well, for me this year there isn't much about either holiday that seems really festive. Growing up there was a nice chill in the air and sometimes snow in Cleveland, Ohio. For me this represents the right "Cleveland state of mind" so to speak in which to frame my holiday mood. From a "Jewish state of mind " though I started to wonder about what Jewish law says about celebrating the American holiday of Thanksgiving. According to my web search ( www.judaism.com/od/americanjewry/a/thansgiving.htm ) I found that Jewish law says Jews can celebrate secular holidays as long as they aren't celebrated with people who bring religious worship to the celebration and the celebration itself does not appear to be a religious ritual (there goes the parade and football game at my house this year!)At www.jewishjournal.com/torah_portion/article/giving_thanks_20021129 in Rabbi Ron Shuman's article called "Giving Thanks" He writes about, "Chanukah's meaning lies in this reality. To live as a Jew today means to live distinctly within a larger society, to be challenged toward the fullest expression of Jewish life. We are blessed today with the privledge of seeking purpose in our particular religious identity and celebrations." "Judaism provides a structure for our lives and our values that inspire gratitude for the wonder and mystery of being." "We can also give something of ourselves to others-to our family, friends and people of society. In our attitude of gratitude and acts of Thanksgiving, we truly celebrate Chanukah." As Americans, I agree with Rabbi Shuman, we do live within the larger culture of the great melting pot of America. A place where people, cultures and families are often blended by both religious and secular customs and celebrations. In my Gratz College course this week we are studying about the migration and Immigration of our Jewish Families, what have we lost and what have we gained by becoming part of this larger American culture? Freedom, safety and economic opportunity seem to be the common thread that weaves our great nation together. So although we might have to reconsider the parade, since we have always watched it "religiously",in my family this year we will consider frying the Turkey and eating sweet potatoe Latkes as we give thanks for all of our freedoms. Happy Thansgivukkah to all.