by Erin Beser
Years ago, I had the privilege to travel to Ethiopia to visit the local Jewish community. It was inspiring to discover the ways in which our communities are so vastly different from one another, and in other ways, at the same time, I felt such a deep and profound connection to my fellow Jews.
Last weekend, along with the tradition that many American Jews have to celebrate Thanksgiving, Ethiopian Jews marked the holiday of Sigd, a biblically preserved, uniquely Jewish holiday celebrated by Ethiopian Jews, also known as Beta Israel. Click here to learn more about Sigd and the ways in which your family can join this beautiful tradition.
On Thanksgiving, we can contemplate first and foremost our gratitude for the many blessings that we have in our own lives, but also the hyphenated position Jews hold in diasporic lands: how we are both integrated residents of many nations and how we at times may feel othered and unique.
For me, what makes me feel grateful as both a Jew and an American is the opportunity to celebrate both identities that include our connection to Jews everywhere, even as far away as Ethiopia, and our deep roots here on American soil that offer us a multiplicity of reasons to celebrate.
However you chose to celebrate this past weekend, whether it’s through Thanksgiving or Sigd or both, I hope you are able to contemplate your many blessings and celebrate the special opportunities that come when you honor sacred traditions by making them your own!