Now that we have partaken in Sukkot, the Jewish thanksgiving, and enjoyed God’s bountiful harvest, it is time to prepare for the American Thanksgiving.  We are all making plans to visit or to host family and friends.  We are pulling out our best recipes for stuffing and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  And as the leaves turn red and orange, and our sleeveless tops and flip flops are replaced by sweaters and scarves, we are reminded of Thanksgiving dinners of years past, of people who graced our Thanksgiving tables and are no longer with us, of sitting at the “kids’” table with cousins who now live far away, and of relatives who ended up on the couch watching the game with their belts loosened after having seconds on the mashed potatoes.

These kinds of scenes are the fabric of American society.  While we miss our loved ones who are no longer here, we honor their memories by keeping them in our hearts and sharing their wisdom and their love with our children.  We see their legacy in the new generations of our family and in the new faces sitting at the “kids’” table.  We also rejoice in the new friends who have entered our lives and who, when family members live too far to travel, become our extended family and share holidays and life cycle events with us here at home.

How fortunate we are to be Jews in America in the 21^st century.  We have the freedom to express ourselves religiously, we have the obligation and privilege to respect our neighbors whose belief systems may be different from our own, and we have the opportunity to share in the bounty of our plentiful country.  Although there are many of us who have been disheartened by particular politicians and policies, we still live in a country with much to be proud of, and Thanksgiving is a good reminder for us all to thank God for all the good there is in our lives.

On Tuesday, November 20^th, we are honored to, once again, host the annual Framingham Interfaith Thanksgiving service here at Temple Beth Am at 7:30pm.  There are not many other places in the world where diverse faith communities can pray together to thank God for all that we have.  This privilege is uniquely American, and it is hard not to be touched by the power of the spirit of our community.  Please join us at this moving service when Jews, Christians, Muslims and many others come to Temple Beth Am as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.