Though the holiday of Thanksgiving is connected to the Pilgrims’ arrival in America, freshman Rachel Litwack and junior Liora Litwack’s family have their own arrival to celebrate, their step-grandfather’s escape from the Soviet Union and immigration to America, which occurred the day before Thanksgiving in 1976.

“It’s very important to us, because he’s a big contribution to our family,” Liora said.

In addition to eating a traditional Thanksgiving meal together in Brooklyn, the family celebrates their step-grandfather by singing a song in Russian. 

According to Liora, this celebration is very special to her step-grandfather, and it always makes  him happy.     

“It’s a really fun time where we all sing and dance,” Liora said.

In Sophomore Sadie Brown’s family, humans aren’t the only ones reconnecting on Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving, Brown visits family in North Carolina, where her dog gets the chance to reunite with her brother. Brown’s dog Rosie and her cousins’ dog Billy are biological siblings. Thanksgiving is the one time of year when the two dogs get to see each other. 

“It’s really cute to see them get really excited about each other,” Brown said. 

Brown’s family loves watching the canine siblings wag their tails with excitement at the sight of their long-distance family member.

“Even though they don’t see each other that often, they always remember each other, and it’s really sweet,” Brown said.

Like many, sophomore Will Falk travels to see his cousins for Thanksgiving. On the way to Philadelphia, his family makes an important stop at iHop, a pancake house chain known for its breakfast foods. Falk’s family has been doing this tradition for around twenty years.

“My grandma started this tradition because she really liked pancakes, and we’ve been doing it ever since,” Falk said. 

According to Falk, though eating at iHop on Thanksgiving morning is not popular in Maryland, it is popular in Philadelphia. The restaurant Falk goes to is always crowded on Thanksgiving morning, filled with families and friends connecting for the holiday. 

“It’s just a great way to bond over some wonderful food,” Falk said. 

Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Many Americans’ mouths water at the thought of eating these foods straight out of the oven during their annual Thanksgiving meal. But for eighth-grade student Raya Moshinsky and junior Raizy Moshinsky, this food doesn’t come from an oven; instead, it comes from a suitcase, carefully packed by their grandmother. 

The Moshinsky family has traveled over Thanksgiving ever since JDS began giving longer breaks for the holiday. They’ve been using the time to travel to places including Anna Maria Island, Florida and Zion National Park, Utah. However, having a Thanksgiving dinner when out of town is a challenge for the family.

Raizy and Raya’s grandmother, knows that it’s hard for them to cook on vacation without a kosher kitchen, so after cooking up a big Thanksgiving feast for her friends and family at home, she “sneaks” the leftovers into the kids’ suitcases before their trip. When they arrive at their destination, they are “surprised” with a home-cooked meal ready to eat in their hotel rooms.

“This tradition means a lot to me because my family loves traveling, and we’re able to do that while also having the taste of home that my safta cooks for us,” Raizy said.