God’s Providence and the United States A Thanksgiving Reader on Judaism, Thanksgiving and the American Idea.

Abstract

Much has been made in the media of the fact that the American holiday of Thanksgiving occurs this year on what is, for Jews, the first day of Chanukah.While this has provided much fodder for humorous remarks about "Thanksgiving," in fact, the convergence of calendars ought to inspire us to ponder how the Jewish penchant for expressing thanks and gratitude to God may have impacted America millennia later.As millions of Americans prepare to observe Thanksgiving, The Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought presents this essay, and the sources that follow, to help provide a framework for reflecting on the American holiday that is upon us, and on the Jewish ideas that may have inspired it. [From Introduction]