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Ackman and Ziff Family Genealogy Institute
Thanksgiving, celebrated annually in November in America, is commonly known as a day of giving thanks. Historically, it has also been revered as a time to bless the harvest and the bounty of the preceding year. In 1863, during the American Civil War, President Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be observed every year on the fourth Thursday of November. Today, the holiday is a chance for friends and families come together. Meanings behind the blessings of Thanksgiving have often been paralleled to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, as they both celebrate autumnal harvest and reconnecting with the community by sharing the Earth's bounty. Thanksgiving was also a time for Jewish immigrants to participate in American civic life. Organizations such as HIAS held celebrations with guest speakers highlighting ideals such as American peace, prosperity, and citizenship, as well as drawing connections between experiences of new immigrants and Puritan settlers.
Exhibition & Blog Post: Sermons of Thanksgiving
A religious discourse : Thanksgiving day sermon, November 26, 1789.
On April 30th, 1789 George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States of America. On October 3rd, he declared “Thursday the Twenty-sixth Day of November next” as a day of thanksgiving. On that day, the first Thanksgiving sermon was given by the Reverend Gershom Seixas in the “Synagogue in this City” Shearith Israel. In addition to having Congregation Shearith Israel (New York, N.Y.) records, undated, 1755-1996 (click here for the finding aid with select objects digitized and linked), American Jewish Historical Society has a reprint of the “Religious Discourse” given “agreeable to the proclamation of the President of the Unites States of America, to be observed as a day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer."
God our benefactor : a sermon, delivered on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1845, Heshvan, 5606, at the Synagogue Mikve Israel of Philadelphia
Sermon, delivered on Thanksgiving day, November 26th, 1863
An English and German version of a sermon given during the Civil war by abolitionist Rabbi David Einhorn.
A sermon given in 1868 by significant Talmudic scholar Marcus Jastrow.
Sermon delivered in the Synagogue, Rodef Shalom, Julianna Street, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, 1868 / Marcus Jastrow.
“Why we should be thankful.” / Address by Henry M. Leipziger, A.M., Directory of the Hebrew Technical Institute.
Delivered in Temple Beth-El, Thanksgiving day, November 24, 1887.
Thanksgiving Day, November 30th, 1899.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1940 [Kurt K. Field Film Collection, P-805]
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1945 [Kurt K. Field Film Collection, P-805]
Materials regarding the education and Americanization of Jewish immigrants, 1913 - 1937 [HIAS and HICEM Main Offices, New York: United States and Canada, RG 245.4.10] [Folder is digitized and available online]
Jewish Cookery Book, on Principles of Economy: Adapted for Jewish Housekeepers, with the Addition of Many Useful Medicinal Recipes, and Other Valuable Information, Relative to Housekeeping and Domestic Management / Esther Levy. Cambridge, Mass.: Chester, CT: Applewood Books; Distributed by Globe Pequot Press, 1988.
The Jewish Cookery Book was the first Jewish cookbook published in America. It has instructions on how to boil and roast a turkey.
The New York Times Jewish Cookbook: More than 750 Traditional and Contemporary Recipes for Every Occasion / Edited by Linda Amster; Introduction by Mimi Sheraton. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002.
America and the Jew: A Pageant for Thanksgiving Day. / Cincinnati, Ohio: Department of Synagogue and School Extension of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1923.
Letter Inviting Friends to Thanksgiving. / Yeshiva University Museum, 1991.173
Research guide on Cookbooks at CJH is available here.
