Women's League

Among the broader American Jewish community, Thanksgiving is widely celebrated and even embraced as an opportunity to lean into Americanness. In the 19th century, it was not uncommon for synagogues to hold services on Thanksgiving, as was the custom for a time among American churches.

Thanksgiving has some Jewish connections, including the Jewish holiday Sukkot, the word "thanksgiving" itself, and some Jewish values that can be applied to Thanksgiving: 

Sukkot

The Jewish holiday of Sukkot is also known as the Festival of Thanksgiving or the Feast of the Tabernacles. It's a time to give thanks for the harvest and the bounty of the land. During Sukkot, Jewish families prepare a Sukkah, a festive booth made of branches and decorated with fruits and flowers, and eat meals inside it. 

The word "thanksgiving"

The word "thanksgiving" contains two Jewish principles: "thanks" and "giving". "Thanks" is a response to gratitude, and "giving" is the opposite of taking, and is related to the idea of philanthropy. 

Jewish values

Jewish tradition encourages people to express gratitude for what they have, and to give thanks for the love and opportunities they have. 

Here are some ways to bring Jewish values into a Thanksgiving celebration:

Fuse traditions

Try fusing Jewish and American foods, such as turkey shwarma or turkey schnitzel. 

Show love

Show love and appreciation for others, through hugs or other displays of affection. 

Do kindness activities

Do activities that demonstrate kindness, such as making paper kindness chains, decorating kindness rocks, or writing chalk art.

Dear Cuban Hebrew Community,

It is always good to make new friends, and for acquaintances to become friends too. For various reasons we find ourselves single later in our lives. Good friends can fill a void we may feel from time to time. There are new people coming into our community all the time. We are a warm and welcoming Temple. But it is not easy to make friends. We are looking to restart a social group for single seniors members. To be real chevra, a group of friends who value each other’s company, we need to find activities we want to share, and good times to meet. 

So here is an informal survey, please respond. (contact@cubanhebrew.com) We can have a relaxed meet –up at the temple for those who are interested to begin.

- Do you prefer to meet during the day, evening or either is good?

- Meet for coffee, lunch, dinner – any preference?

- Outings –movies, theater trips, museum trips – club with live music?

- Classes – art, music, dance, yoga?