What to do with Thanksgivukkah?

My father could not be openly Jewish. Growing up in Uzbekistan, a former Soviet State in Communist USSR, any observance of religion was forbidden. Of course this did not stop my family– I am told that my grandfather used to make his own matzah at Pesach, using the cogs from a clock to poke the prerequisite holes in the dough before baking. The Jewish will always prevails.

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With our celebration of Thanksgivukkah™—  the once in a life-time coincidence of Chanukah and Thanksgiving— rather than focusing on the separate events, giving each its own dais in time, perhaps we ought to consider how one impacts the other.

Adam Sandler correctly dubbed Chanukah “the festival of lights” in his holiday song. We celebrate the miracle of a small supply of oil burning for eight days (don’t try this with your turkey grease!), along with the miracle of the Maccabees’ military victory against the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his mighty army.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, instead of focusing entirely on story-telling and celebration, let us make room for thanks! Saying thank you for these miracles that happened a long time ago is important, but there’s something far more important for which we ought to be continually grateful.

The whole reason for the fight against the Seleucids was that for the first time in history, we were forbidden from practicing all forms of Jewish life, including circumcisions and sacrifices. We were religiously persecuted, in our own land. The Seleucids wanted our land and wealth, but they were also after our hearts and souls, in a very forceful way. Sure, the Maccabees wanted Jewish sovereignty back for Israel, but they fought for something greater: the right for religious freedom. And thankfully, they were victorious.

Rather than celebrating “the great miracle that happened there,” let us give thanks this Chanukah for the great miracle that we continue to enjoy, here today, in our own land. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respect an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” In other words, our law-makers may not restrict or control our religious beliefs and observances. We may practice as we see fit, so long as our practice does not limit the religious practice of others. This is a blessing and gift that even some in our own community have not always enjoyed.

So, in being thankful this Thanksgiving for the bounty at our table, the loved ones who surround us, and the intense holiday cheer, may we also be thankful for the tremendous gift of religious freedom, and may we remember to use our rights and exercise this religious freedom to the best of our abilities.

A happy Thankgiving and a happy Chanukah to all.

Published in Temple Emanu-El of Edison’s November 2013 Kolaynu.