11.07.09, 09:10 AM 47 replies
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Do Jewish people celebrate Thanksgiving? I want to invite some Jewish friends, but don't want to offend. TIA!

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11.07.09, 09:10 AM Flag ]
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  • Do Jewish people celebrate Thanksgiving? I want to invite some Jewish friends, but don't want to offend. TIA!

    47 replies [ Reply | Watch | More
    11.07.09, 09:10 AM Flag ]
    • Just like most people in the USA; they do if they want to.

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      11.07.09, 09:13 AM Flag
      • How do I know if they observe Thanksgiving?

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        11.07.09, 09:15 AM Flag
        • Well, are they particularly religious (i.e. orthodox)? If they aren't, they are probably like most other Americans. Most Jewish families I know (including mine) celebrate it. However, when we were growing up it wasn't an "important" holiday so we didn't always do very much (mom might do a turkey breast and some mashed potatoes, but we might even skip it). However, if we were invited to join someone else we'd of course do so. If they are kosher, it's a different matter, but that would be the case if you were just inviting them over for dinner and has nothing to do with whether they celebrate Thanksgiving.

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          11.07.09, 09:55 AM Flag
          • i'm jewish and turkey day is a big deal in my family, always has been. turkey with all the fixins, baby!

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            11.07.09, 07:20 PM Flag
        • Even if they don't "observe" it, I'm sure they would still appreciate the invitation. Non-Jewish people get invited to seders all the time for Passover.

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          11.07.09, 09:59 AM Flag
        • This has got to be fake, you can't really be this dumb in real life.

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          11.08.09, 02:51 PM Flag
    • It is a religion. Jewish people born in America are American, like everyone else.

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      11.07.09, 09:15 AM Flag
      • OK. So are there any foods I should avoid? Do they eat turkey and pumpkin pie?

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        11.07.09, 09:17 AM Flag
        • You shouldn't invite them. You should spare them the slightly uncomfortable situation of having to decline an invitation from a total idiot.

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          11.07.09, 09:23 AM Flag
          • np: your comment was completely unnecessary. OP is trying to be nice

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            11.07.09, 09:25 AM Flag
            • She should stop trying to be nice and try getting her head out of her ass.

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              11.07.09, 09:29 AM Flag
              • oh my, i'm jewish and i've encountered this question several times during my life. i think it's GOOD that someone asked this question!

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                11.07.09, 07:17 PM Flag
            • nnp: but it totally made me laugh out loud!

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              11.07.09, 09:56 AM Flag
        • np: yes, in general. i think you are over thinking this! if they are american or have lived here a while they know what to expect at thanksgiving!!

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          11.07.09, 09:23 AM Flag
        • The religion is not in any way an issue. I have never known anyone who didn't celebrate Tday because they were Jewish. Some people just don't care for/about the holiday. The only issue is if they keep kosher diets. Just say you'd like to invite them, and wonder if they have any dietary restrictions. There are kosher turkeys, but if they're really kosher they won't eat anywhere but a kosher home or restaurant, because it's more than the food. It's not offensive to ask if someone is kosher BTW.

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          11.07.09, 09:44 AM Flag
    • Not sure why people are giving OP a hard time. A couple of years ago I asked a collegue, who is an orthodox Jew what she was doing for Thanksgiving and she replied "it's not our holiday", when I said "you don't consider yourself American" she couldn't explain why they don't celebrate it. Not that I care if they celebrate or not, but I do find it offensive that someone born and raised in America would say a 100% American holiday isn't theirs.

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      11.07.09, 09:29 AM Flag
      • Gee, I wonder why your colleague didn't want to come to your house and break bread with you...

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        11.07.09, 09:51 AM Flag
        • Silly, OR above didn't want that colleague in her home, she just wanted a report on what a Jew would "do" for thanksgiving, since all good americans must "do" something to properly observe the holiday.

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          11.07.09, 10:05 AM Flag
          • There you have it, OP asks if Jews celebrate Thanksgiving and many people reply "of course" but when OR assumed everyone one did she's wrong for making that assumption. Someone on UB will always take offense no matter what a person does. There's never a right answer.

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            11.08.09, 07:20 AM Flag
      • as an Orthodox Jew, she probably celebrates many, many holidays throughout the year, including at least one for giving thanks, and considers this one optional; personally I don't care if someone doesn't want to celebrate it; it's no skin off of my back.

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        11.07.09, 09:55 AM Flag
        • I don't care if someone chooses to not celebrate any holiday. I do care if people born and raised in the US who enjoy the freedoms and proctects of US citizens say an American holiday isn't theirs.

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          11.08.09, 07:30 AM Flag
          • Doesn't matter to me - what are you somekind of holiday Nazi? Do you make people eat BBQ and watch fireworks on July 4th?

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            11.08.09, 09:49 AM Flag
      • When I was growing up the very Christian Jehovah's Witness kids in our class weren't allowed to even make the traditional "trace the hand" turkey art project in class, and all the Jewish kids did. Thanksgiving is a secular holiday -- some people celebrate it and some don't because it's not important to them. I don't get offended if you don't celebrate Arbor Day each year -- do you? How could you even consider yourself American and not plant a tree that day? for shame!

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        11.07.09, 09:59 AM Flag
        • when I was growing up the Jehovah's Witness kids complained about the turkey art project and none of us could do it.

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          11.07.09, 10:06 AM Flag
          • I bet your parents were thrilled they didn't have to display yet another "hand turkey" on the refrigerator!

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            11.07.09, 10:08 AM Flag
            • I made one when I got home and my mom still has it. The situation was not right.

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              11.07.09, 10:21 AM Flag
          • Wait--what on earth is wrong with Thanksgiving for Jehovah's Witnesses? The Halloween thing I get, the not pledging allegiance, the not receiving blood transfusions, but what's wrong with turkey and some mild patriotism?

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            11.07.09, 11:19 AM Flag
            • They don't celebrate holidays at all. No birthdays either.

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              11.07.09, 05:40 PM Flag
          • Kind of like those peanut-allergy freaks who don't let kids have PB&J at lunch.

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            11.07.09, 11:23 AM Flag
    • As Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, I assume most American celebrate it. And even foreigners would be happy to come to a Thanksgiving dinner.

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      11.07.09, 09:31 AM Flag
    • If they are Orthodox, don't invite them unless you can be sure to cook a completely kosher meal. Even if they are not observant, stay away from pork products.

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      11.07.09, 09:32 AM Flag
      • ITA! Skip the roast pork loin!! lol

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        11.07.09, 10:01 AM Flag
      • hey, even orthodox people would appreciate an invite! this is an american holiday, not a religious holiday. just because someone's ortho doesn't mean they don't want to have friends. you can always do a cool potluck if they're orthodox.

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        11.07.09, 07:19 PM Flag
    • Fake, much?

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      11.07.09, 04:56 PM Flag
      • I don't know if its fake, but the premise that you would be "offending" someone by extending a warm, personal invitation is juvenile, insecure and incomprehensible to me. It they don't want to come they'll come up with a fake excuse like everyone else.

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        11.07.09, 05:20 PM Flag
    • I dunno, do Jewish people celebrate the 4th of July? Would it offend your Jewish friends to watch the fireworks?

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      11.07.09, 06:19 PM Flag
    • Either this is fake or you were born on a desert island and just got in.

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      11.07.09, 08:23 PM Flag
      • i'm Muslim and I never celebrated Thanksgiving either...I know some Muslims that do, but not many....so I think it's a valid question to ask, even if Thanksgiving is a secular holiday. Amazed at some of the snarky responses here.

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        11.07.09, 11:40 PM Flag
        • Don't you consider yourself American?

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          11.07.09, 11:44 PM Flag
          • People who are Jewish are American and thus celebrate Thanksgiving.

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            11.07.09, 11:45 PM Flag
          • Imagine if your parents move to China...they aren't going to start celebrating all the Chinese holidays right away even if their kids are born there-it would take a while. So we do celebrate july 4th, halloween, etc. but Thanksgiving hasn't caught on yet. We kind of get tired...cuz in america there are too many holidays..so we skip some.

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            11.08.09, 07:27 AM Flag
            • In that case I would say "I'm American, we haven't started celebrating that holiday yet." I would not say "I'm Christian" unless it was a religious holiday.

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              11.08.09, 09:55 AM Flag
    • the Orthodox women I worked with at school said that even though they were born in the US they were not really American so no they do not celebrate.

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      11.08.09, 04:36 AM Flag
      • Perhaps then they should be deported.

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        11.08.09, 09:43 AM Flag
    • Of course they do. Thanksgiving is a non sectarian holiday.

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      11.08.09, 04:45 AM Flag
    • we have always celebrated Thanksgiving with all of the traditional foods

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      11.08.09, 09:38 AM Flag
    • Some people seem to use nationality and religion interchangably in this post. Saying you don't celebrate Thanksgiving because you are Jewish or Muslim implies that you are less of an American if you belong to either of these religions. The creators of the first American Thanksgiving came to this country in search of religious freedom. This line of thinking is a slap in the face to those ideas.

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      11.08.09, 09:48 AM Flag
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