I grew up in the kind of home that never had a thanksgiving meal for practical reasons, my father couldn’t cook, and my brother and I would rather go skiing then gorging ourselves on turkey and stuffing. So we used to go to my cousins Brooklyn for the meal. As seems to be the case with most issues, I never knew that it was so controversial within the Jewish community until I went away to yeshiva high school.
In my school like most folks with the yeshivish attitude, they used to say “what’s the point of a specific day for thanksgiving, when we thank God every day.” Then of course these same people to acknowledge some sort of sense of being American would go ahead and serve turkey and the trimmings on Friday night instead of the traditional Thursday. I later learned that this cop out was in fact of a practical issue, due to the fact that Friday night is a big meal anyway, why not combine the two?
I personally always found Thanksgiving to be flat out weird, it just doesn’t feel Jewish. I mean how many times do Jews have a big meal with everyone wearing sweaters and khakis, without making Kiddush, having lechem mishna or singing zemiros, to me it feels plain old goyishe. It almost feels too comfortable, sitting in your jeans and sweatshirt eating great food, with no shull obligations.
I always remember the folks who were vehemently anti those that wouldn’t have a meal on thanksgiving, they were always the gung-ho modern orthodox. They would sit at the meal and bash all the frummies for being so un-American.
Then of course you had the super frummies, charedim, Chassidim, whatever you may call them that had no idea it was thanksgiving, unless they worked at B and H Photo or some other retail establishment that relied on black Friday and holidays like thanksgiving to boost their sales. When asking these folks if they believed in, or had a thanksgiving meal, they would give you this quizzical look and say “Vut is dat?”
I can only imagine what other groups reactions are to the whole concept of thanksgiving. I mean how do Vegans go about the whole event, one would think that they stage protests and vigils in mourning for the Turkey genocide that takes place around this time every year. Or the anti-capitalists that believe thanksgiving was created by the evil multinational corporations as an excuse to unload all the fall fashions and products at discount prices and get everyone into the stores for “holiday sales.” Are there super liberal folks that think thanksgiving was a meal celebrated before we went and stole more land from the Indians and then killed and burnt their villages?
How do you celebrate thanksgiving? Any thoughts? Is it heretical according to anyone?
-->
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sure that for someone whose family would eat Shabbos meals in your underwear “everyone wearing sweaters and khakis” shouldn’t feel so goyish.
I find what you write to be very interesting – my only concer: why is there a Jews for Jesus Google ad/link on your site?
KW // Nov 21, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I find what you write to be very interesting – my only concer: why is there a Jews for Jesus Google ad/link on your site?
Google ads are randomly generated based on the content of the site, they look for keywords and try to display appropriate ads to the target audience. It happens to be that JFJ pay for google ads and since the word “Jews” appears alot here, thats what googles system decides is the appropriate ad. Ironic, or intentional?
Who knows.
I’m sick of ignorant frum jews that celebrate Thanksgiving. Its a well known fact that in the early 1800s, the police used to take off on Thanksgiving just for the sake of killing innocent Jews. There used to be all kinds of pogroms that would happen. Jewish blood was flowing in the streets! This even started up again in the sixties in northern Florida for about a year or 2 but Nixon put a stop to it. How can one celebrate on a day when our fellow yidden were mercilessly slaughtered????
What?! “well known fact” I never heard of that before in my life! Where’d you hear about that? You got any sources? And I couldn’t find anything remotely close on google…
This blog is one of the funniest I have seen in a while. You should check your spelling and grammar somewhat before posting though. Oh and of course here is my plug: http://cthulu4prez.livejournal.com. This is my blog on med school and other miscellaneous goings-on in my life.
If you look at my school attendance records you’d see that every thanksgiving thursday since kindergarten I was absent. We have a thanksgiving dinner party in pennsylvania (a quaker tradition of ours…nah we have cousins there) my principal once had to rearrange my midterm schedule so I could go. You can imagine how that pleased him. but anyhow tomorrow will be my first thanksgiving not doing anything to celebrate since were not going. I was thinking I should tell my mom to buy a turkey- it just wouldn’t feel right not to have some
.
everyone knows that thanksgiving only became UNyeshevish at the agooda recently. they only stopped serving turkey fress at the convention a few years ago.
I think the best part of thanks giving is the fact that the whole family gets together for once with out any Religous significance.Think about it every other time you get together with family you cant do milacha ,you spend half a day in shul.Plus I dont think most Jews “Celebrate the holiday b/c of the pilgrims ect. they just do it b/c its good times,good food ect.
My family never celebrates Thanksgiving. Although, I do love it for the four day weekend. Besides, Sukkot is the original harvest festival upon which the pilgrims most likely loosely based Thanksgiving. If we already celebrate the true harvest festival, why observe its secularized counterpart?
heshey for prez
ice horse, i remember hearing about the thanksgiving pogroms of the sixties. I searched like crazy online to find an article about it. can u post a link?
The ice horse is full of shit!!!!! dont listen any of the crap that flies out of that faggots mouth!!!!
LOL@ Anon.
We usually go to my grandfather’s house but unfortunately he’s in the hospital this year.
So I told Da Wife to whip up some turkey, gotta keep the fun coming.
I’ll post a report on it tomorrow night.
Jacob, whats the matter with you? dont you have any sensitivity toward the suffering of your people?
Hesh-I come from a superfrum family and we rock the shabbos turkey-I am happy as long as i get some turkey in the end! by the way, the pilgrim/indian happy friendly food shtick stopped cutting ice with me when i learned that the by the NEXT thanksgiving, the settlers were already killing indians! We should probably celebrate Casino Inauguration week, when Indians got the right to own casinos. At least they still have those! It scares me that we think alike.
Thanksgiving is awesome. Your blog is awesome. Come to think of it, life is awesome.
I think I love you.
I really do. My Mom recommended your blog to me, and by golly she has good taste. By golly
Sorry but I don’t have a penis, but if I did I would totally want you to gargle my delectable semen.
L’Chaim!
iCE hORSE ,
Yo mama so fat when you get on top of her your ears pop!
Did you seriously use a “yo mama” diss on me from 1993. What kind of witless hack are you?
Hesh, can you please ban the ice horse? He’s ruining your blog
Anna agreed! I don’t think I ever heard of amything more ridiculous than a thanksgiving pogrom!!!
This “witless hack” was actually stooping to your level of immaturity. I was laughing at you, not with you. BTW, my discharge is way too good for a kid like you.
ICE HORSE TRY GOOGLING THANTKSVING POGROM! NADA!
I think its hillarious that you googled it!
Wow look what happens when I leave for a day of site seeing in Wash DC- 28 comments.
I think the ice horse is trying to incite his own pogrom or riot on my blog. Thats almost as nuts as the 9-11 commission for truth claims.
Isaac, first of all learn how to fucking spell Thanksgiving and then buy a new keyboard with a working caps key. Second of all, anyone who took a basic Jewish history class knows the story of the original Thanksgiving pogroms that took place in the 1800s in America. I’m not completely sure about the the ones that Nixon put an end to. I think that was just a yeshivish urban legend. But the ones that took place in the 1800s were a well documented fact.
30andawesome I apologize to you. You’re a greater human than I. And I will never be worthy enough to even floss with your pubic hair. I owe you a bracha. You should find a shidduch shortly and be matzliach in parnassah and be a groissah source of nachas to gantz klall yisroel!!
Now you’re obviously trying to get in my pants. You’re bracha just put me over the edge and now I have to have you. I originally thought I wanted Hesh, but now I’m not so sure….
Ice horse-
Your 4th grade rebbe must have done horrible things to you
Mazal Tov, Hesh!
I’m so impressed that your blog got popular enough for a flame war.
I’ll see u a the “librarian’s” aufruf.
Anna and isaac calm down. Its commentors like iCE hORSE that keep the threads meaty and fun! Not everything in life and on the net has to be all nice and agreeable.
I’m hoping you can get past the pogrom stuff and properly stuff my turkey in honor of Thanksgiving.
Before I got religious I used to object to my family celebrating a holiday that resulted in WASPs murdering 1,000s of American Indians and the taking of their land. But now, I like to get a break from school to sit down with my family for some good cookin’. I agree with what Thenerve said: think the best part of thanks giving is the fact that the whole family gets together for once with out any Religous significance.Think about it every other time you get together with family you cant do milacha ,you spend half a day in shul.Plus I dont think most Jews “Celebrate the holiday b/c of the pilgrims ect. they just do it b/c its good times,good food ect.
How about we just do the important stuff of Thanksgiving, which is being grateful to live in a country where frum Jews never had it so good (including Eretz Yisroel, it seems) In most of Europe these days they’re afraid to walk in the street with a yarmulke — in 2007! — and our biggest problem here is deciding which restaurant has the best sushi and which community has the best singles scene. The Lubavitcher Rebbe called this a “medina shel chessed” for a reason, rabboisai. Give thanks!
devorah, i agree!
The very offensive Ice Horse comments have been deleted and I apologize for not doing it sooner, but I am on vacation and not always at the comp.
Mr. Ice Horse please respect the other commenters and try and keep your comments to a PG13 level
30andawesome, I can properly stuff your turkey, but you’re going to have to fucking ask nicer than that. But not if y0u’re wearing pants. Homey don’t play that game.
hesh, freedom of speech or die
If I see another ICE HORSE comment on here I’m boycotting this blog!
deena, I’m with you. This blog is funny, but enough is enough with this horse made from ice
shirit and deena, you are truly both a bunch of clitless cunts. develop a sense of humour
I tried googling clitless cunt and nothing came up. I think that every cunt has a clit and a cunt without a clit cannot possibly exist. It sounbds like another silly myth just like this thanksgiving pogrom icehorse propoganda
what the hell is an ice horse anyways?
hesh please clean this up, kosher only
Yeh, you really gotta delete that last post from ice horse, It seems like he really has no life, if he took all that time to post all that….but thanks now I feel more educated, didnt know what half those words actually meant!
This is suppose to be some sort of “Jewish” site…He’s gotta respect that!
We always celebrate Thanksgiving as an excuse to get together, eat alot, talk, and then fall asleep on the couch… It’s nice to have a “holiday” where you can drive to a meal.
Oh, and I’m a frummie.
Isn’t it possible to just block any vulgar comments before they go up, if you respect the community of decent people who enjoy real satire (go ahead an parse that), not filthy language trying (unsuccessfully) to hide a lack of intelligence? lots of sites screen comments before they go up. what if a neo-nazi was commenting? i don’t mind being screened first, and i’m sure none of your normal regular readers would either (comment if i’m wrong, guys). i just can’t recommend this site in good conscience to friends if you’re going to let such “comments” on.
Clitless Cunt: When the Arabs or Africans preform female bris mila on that holy place
I would be highly impressed if you could write an interesting story utilizing all of those new vocabulary words. I would attempt it but I don’t have that much time on my hands.
PS: Homey don’t play with chicks in pants or chicks who where the pants or what ?!?
In total agreement with Chaya’s comment above.
I’m starting a new blog:
http://www.Icehorse.blogspot.com
O crap, its already taken by some dude!
Hesh-
Your dad took you skiing on Thanksgiving? My dad took me skiing on Super Bowl-
1. My family wasn’t into football.
2. All the Americans were home, so the whole mountain was ours for the day.
Heshy,
TAG! you’re it! please visit my blog for details. Thanks.
(p.s. good luck w/everything!)
As for sweaters and khakis, I dress down during Sukkot. I’ve seen pictures of more political Native Americans wearing shirts that said things like: “Thanks for giving us smallpox and raping our women.”
http://jacobdajew.blogspot.com/2007/11/every-day-is-not-thanksgiving-or.html
The post
my take on jews and thanksgiving:
http://agmk.blogspot.com/2007/11/thanksgiving-day-in-jewish-practice.html#links
and people, our contemporary thanksgiving was established by lincoln. it has nothing to do with indians.
Thanks for the link Ari
if i remember correctly there are three tshuvos from R’ Moshe on whether one should celebrate Thanksgiving.
i happen to not like turkey (but i do like that cranberry stuff). i also don’t like doing the same arbitrary thing everyone else is doing. oh, also, i’m not thankful.
Dofan, would you be able to bring us the teshuvas so we can discuss. Aren’t there a whole bunch of folks who dont even eat turkey since it may not be kosher.
rav moshe’s 4 teshuvot are discussed at http://www.tfdixie.com/special/thanksg.htm#A04
Thank you Ari
It was my first year in the US, here in Canada thanksgiving is just anither excuse not to go to work, people just don’t celebrate like you Americans. I remember being invited to a family in the Albany area for Friday night that happened to be Thanksgiving. They made such a ritual out of turkey and cranberry sauce, I was just wondering when the beer would come. Unfortunately it never did, then I figured out the the US also had stricter underage drinking laws.
Hail to the Jews man
out of the Jews came a real cool Guy
Jesus