When sitting down to eat Thanksgiving dinner with my family, it felt weird that we weren’t reciting prayers or lighting candles like I do for many other holidays that I celebrate. While Thanksgiving is different from the Jewish holidays, I celebrate it because it is important to my identity as an American.
As an American Jew, it is important to recognize both the American and Jewish holidays because they each play different roles in my identity. I celebrate American holidays to connect to my country, whereas I observe Jewish holidays to connect to my religion.
Many American holidays have Jewish parallel holidays. For example, Sukkot and Thanksgiving both relate to the harvest and Rosh Hashanah and New Years celebrate the new year.
Sukkot is a holiday to celebrate the harvest and the Jews’ 40 year journey through the desert. Thanksgiving was created as a feast shared by the pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. Though they have Sukkot, many Jews still celebrate Thanksgiving, because it gives a good reason for people to spend time with family. It is hard to miss out on such a big part of American culture.
The value of being together on Thanksgiving is similar to the idea of having guests over during Sukkot and celebrating together. Even though they may seem different, the goals of celebrating the holidays all come back to spending time together with loved ones, a value that I care deeply about. It is important for me to celebrate both holidays in order to show appreciation for all parts of my identity.
Something similar can be said about Rosh Hashanah and New Years. Both were created to welcome the new year, though one was created for the Gregorian calendar on Jan. 1, and one is for the Jewish calendar on the first of Tishrei.
Both holidays are very important to me because Rosh Hashanah begins the high holidays and the ten days of repentance, which are a crucial part of Judaism. I also think that New Years is very important because the extended time off and celebration all around the world makes me appreciate the ability to collectively start over, and leave behind the hard things from the past year.
There are many fun New Years traditions that draw people in to celebrate the holiday like staying up until midnight to watch the ball drop, and creating New Years resolutions to better yourself. However, Rosh Hashanah is one of the holiest days in Judaism, where we ask God for a fresh start, so it’s very important to celebrate.
It is important to appreciate the many special things about being American as well as being Jewish. It is important to not prioritize one part of your identity, and these related values show that both parts can coexist, and show how celebrating American holidays is just as important as celebrating Jewish ones.
