Yes. My family arrived in America around this time of year from Russia. When they came here they noticed everyone was eating turkey and celebrating and they took this as their own personal holiday to commemorate coming here. So for us, Thanksgiving is not some kind of secular holiday, but more of a personal anniversary.
No. Since it’s not a spiritual holiday, I do not celebrate it. There are no special prayers on this day. I’m used to celebrating holidays on a spiritual and religious level. There is nothing wrong with celebrating Thanksgiving; the intentions of the day are good. I just prefer to celebrate holidays when they are tied to spiritual practices like davening.
No. I work for a Jewish company, so the only holidays I get off are the Jewish ones. For me this is just a normal, typical workday. Society created it as a good excuse to get away for the weekend or get drunk.
Yes – though not really as a holiday per se, but more as a family get-together. It has no religious associations for me; we don’t discuss what we are grateful for or anything like that. It’s just a good excuse for relatives to get together and enjoy some turkey and each other’s company.
– Sara Cohen, art therapist
