Whether we choose to engage or not in the symbolism, food, “Black Friday” and football of an American holiday such as Thanksgiving, we think it a perfect time to be grateful or to at least find reminders of why we should be.
Indeed, the nation has spent the better part of the year easily finding the very forks in the road that lead us toward divisiveness instead of togetherness.
Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to stop and remember that we thrive in a nation that defends our right to freely live as Jews.
We share in the responsibility to defend this great nation, be it in the military or in the body politic. And through the years, whether your history books take you to the first 23 Jews who landed in America on the 17th-century shores of New Amsterdam or you can trace your family through Ellis Island, we wish you a heartfelt Thanksgiving holiday. But mostly, we hope that you can take a moment with your family to express how grateful you are for one another and for a bright future that all of us as American Jews share.
Thanksgiving this year could not have come at a better time. The nation needs a day to reflect.
Enjoy the day off, and let’s be grateful for our many blessings.
