Every year, on the last Thursday of November, Americans across the country celebrate Thanksgiving. Many attribute the celebration to the meal shared by Plymouth, Massachusetts, colonists, and the Native Wampanoag tribe in 1621. However, the day wasn’t officially established until President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863 during the American Civil War. While the murky history of the holiday is still contested today, modern celebrations are often filled with football, family, friends, and, most notably, food.
Across campus, the Posnack School community got into the Thanksgiving spirit. From November 4 – 15, the Student Council hosted the Harvest Drive, collecting shelf-stable goods for families needing support this holiday season. The Baking Club hosted a pumpkin spice snack-tasting event on Thursday, November 21, voting Pumpkin Spice Oreos and Pumpkin Spice M&Ms as the best fall treats. And with the scent of roast turkey and applesauce filling the grounds on Tuesday, November 26, thanks to the Dining Hall’s special Thanksgiving menu, it was hard to find anyone not in the Thanksgiving spirit.
With the superficial icons of Thanksgiving in mind, Mr. Siflinger, Posnack School’s AP United States History teacher and Navy veteran, urged the community not to forget the cultural significance of the holiday. “As citizens of a democracy, we often disagree, as is our right, but Thanksgiving is a time when we can come together and share a meal in gratitude for this great country,” he said. “When you read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, you understand that we are divisive and ambitious people. Being a history teacher puts you into an extraordinary role of presenter. I present my students with what has happened in our past and urge them to form their opinions and judgments regarding events. But now, Thanksgiving isn’t a time for that; it’s a time for joining together and giving thanks to what America means and what it has provided for all the people that find themselves here.”
Mr. Siflinger’s messages of mindfulness were echoed in Dr. Cuenca’s words to the school community. In the midst of a divisive war in Israel, Dr. Cuenca mentioned that he is thankful for the strong Posnack School community and is “grateful for the opportunity our school has to strengthen the Jewish community throughout the United States with Torah values and Yiddishkeit.” He reminded the community that “the idea of being grateful is a very Jewish idea. We are blessed to come together as a nation to celebrate family and friends,” Cuenca said.
These sentiments make it even more important to remember that not everyone’s Thanksgiving looks or feels the same. Gila B., a Posnack School student who emigrated to the U.S. just over 10 years ago, sheds light on some immigrants’ experiences with the holiday. “My first experience relating to Thanksgiving in America was when we made hand turkeys in second grade. I didn’t realize it was for a holiday; I just thought it was a fun craft,” she said. “Now, Thanksgiving often brings up feelings of loneliness. My friends always have family meals, and most things are closed.”
Thanksgiving offers a reminder to take a moment to reflect on what you are thankful for. After all, that is the spice of life—the pumpkin spice, that is.
