It is widely believed that the Pilgrims modeled their Thanksgiving feast after the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. In its modern incarnation as a secular festival focusing on gratitude, an appropriately Jewish concept, Thanksgiving has been observed by American Jews from its earliest days. When George Washington declared a non-denominational National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, American Jews eagerly joined the celebration. Gershom Mendes Seixas…
by Elli Smerling, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History Official Jewish law requires 10 to be in attendance for communal prayer. Unofficial Jewish law requires that if 10 people are in a room, there must be food. Every Jewish gathering, celebration or holiday revolves around food. You may ask: What about fast days? Well, they’re about food as well. Fact: Not eating food…
Happy Thanksgiving from the Center for Jewish History! See below for entries on holiday-related archival resources–including Jewish cookbooks, holiday sermons and Thanksgiving traditions. Image above: c/o the American Jewish Historical Society’s American Jewish Tercentenary celebration collection, I-11.
Consulting Jewish Cookbooks for ThanksgivingCompiled by David P. Rosenberg, M.P.A., Senior Reference Librarian – Collections, Center for Jewish History Jewish cookery book, on principles of economy: adapted for Jewish housekeepers, with the addition of many useful medicinal recipes, and other valuable information, relative to housekeeping and domestic management was the first Jewish cookbook published in America. It has instructions on how to boil and…
Thanksgiving Sermonsby David P. Rosenberg, M.P.A., Senior Reference Librarian – Collections, Center for Jewish History On April 30th, 1789 George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States of America. On October 3rd, he declared “Thursday the Twenty-sixth Day of November next” as a day of thanksgiving. On that day, the first Thanksgiving sermon was given by the Reverend Gershom Seixas…
