Thanksgiving is celebrated in both Canada and in the United States, but the holiday seems to resonate more with American Jews than with Canadian Jews. In Canada, many Jewish families choose not to celebrate Thanksgiving, viewing it primarily as a civic holiday without direct ties to their cultural or religious traditions. In the United States, however, Thanksgiving is an integral part of the American Jewish experience. This difference in Thanksgiving observance raises several interesting questions, namely: Why do American Jews embrace the holiday more enthusiastically than Canadian Jews? Is Thanksgiving an inherently secular holiday? Can it connect to Jewish tenets?
The Jewish Experience and Thanksgiving
In the U.S., Thanksgiving is framed as a unifying, non-denominational holiday. It transcends religious boundaries, allowing people of all faiths to participate without compromising their beliefs. The holiday has offered American Jews a chance to blend their Jewish identity with their American one, celebrating both their heritage and their place within American society. Jews that were coming to America left countries where they were second class citizens, and celebrating secular American holidays gave them the opportunity to prove they were just as American as their neighbours.
To contrast, in Canada, Jews may feel less compelled to adopt Thanksgiving as a part of their cultural practice. The Canadian Jewish experience has generally been one of quiet integration, where civic holidays like Thanksgiving have not been as central to expressing identity or gratitude. Additionally, because Canada has not positioned Thanksgiving as a national holiday about freedom in the same way the U.S. has, it doesn’t hold the same symbolic significance for Canadian Jews.
My family has a unique relationship with Canadian Thanksgiving. My mom’s birthday always falls on the day of or around Thanksgiving so we would use the opportunity of an extra day off school to travel somewhere for the weekend. During COVID, we even had our own homemade Thanksgiving dinner with all the traditional foods and some Soviet-Jewish delicacies. We chose to celebrate Thanksgiving not as a way of assimilation but as an excuse to get the family together for a weekend.
Thanksgiving’s Relationship to Judaism
Is Thanksgiving a secular holiday, or does it connect to Judaism? The answer can lie somewhere in between. Thanksgiving is, at its core, a secular holiday. It does not have religious origins and is celebrated by Americans and Canadians of all faiths. However, many of its underlying themes—gratitude, family, and freedom—closely align with Jewish values and teachings.
In Judaism, the practice of gratitude is central. Daily prayers like the Modeh Ani, recited upon waking, and the blessings after meals express thankfulness for life’s blessings. Thanksgiving’s focus on giving thanks, especially for freedoms and opportunities, is, therefore, not far removed from Jewish spiritual practices. It’s not uncommon for American and Canadian Jews to incorporate Jewish prayers or reflections into their Thanksgiving meal, blending the two traditions. Thanksgiving has become a holiday where Jewish families can integrate Jewish customs—such as saying the Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals)—while still fully participating in a cross-country tradition. The secular nature of the holiday allows for this flexibility, making it easier for American and Canadian Jews to feel that Thanksgiving is their holiday, too.
Sukkot: The Jewish Thanksgiving?
Some historians suggest that the Pilgrims' experience with Jewish communities in Holland may have influenced the establishment of Thanksgiving. Before their voyage to America, the Pilgrims lived among Sephardic Jews in the Netherlands, where they would have observed Jewish customs, including the celebration of Sukkot.
This exposure might have inspired the Pilgrims to adopt similar practices of gratitude and harvest celebration in their new environment.
Both holidays emphasize themes of gratitude, community, and the harvest. Sukkot involves gathering in shacks and celebrating with specific rituals, while Thanksgiving centres on a communal meal and expressions of thanks. The timing of both holidays in the fall and their focus on thankfulness and harvest further highlight their thematic similarities.
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