Pod Save America Hosts Call on Democrats to Cut All Israel Military Aid, No Longer Accept AIPAC Funding
Jews, Israelis Targeted in Austria Amid Surge in Antisemitic Incidents; Local Jewish Community Calls for Action
‘All of Our Strength’: Over 1,000 Pro-Israel Activists Gather in DC for Solidarity Conference
‘Devastated’: Wesley LePatner, Killed in Manhattan Mass Shooting, Was a Jewish Communal, Philanthropic Leader
Sen. Angus King Vows to No Longer Vote for Israel Military Aid Until Gaza Conditions Improve
Europe Won’t Pressure Israel to ‘Commit Suicide’ Amid Gaza Backlash, Palestinian State Push, Says Israeli FM
Israel’s National Soccer Coach Attacked in Athens Before Soccer Fans Chant ‘F–K Israel, Free Palestine’ at Match
New York Judge Sentences Neo-Nazi to 5 Years for Livestreaming Bomb Threats Against Jewish Hospitals
US Pressures Lebanon to Issue Cabinet Decision to Disarm Hezbollah Before Talks Continue
UK Plans to Recognize Palestinian State in September Unless Israel Meets Conditions, Starmer Says
Should Jews Celebrate Halloween?
Error: Contact form not found.
by Jacob Kamaras / JNS.org
A Halloween jack-o'-lantern. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
JNS.org – While I grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, Halloween was largely taboo. I believe I can safely say that literally nobody in my social circle celebrated the holiday—unless you count an egg being thrown at your school bus during the ride home on Oct. 31.
Why do some Jews abstain from Halloween? Some cite the pagan roots of the holiday, others the fact that Jews already get to wear costumes on Purim, and others that it’s simply “goyish.” The counter-argument would be that Halloween isn’t “goyish,” but American—just like Thanksgiving.
I’m no longer living in the Brooklyn shtetl, yet to this day I’ve never celebrated Halloween. I don’t really feel “left out,” and something inside of me feels proud about clinging onto this facet of my experience with Jewish tradition. But is it really tradition at work here, or self-righteousness? The popular Jewish educational websites Chabad.org, Aish.com, and MyJewishLearning.com offer analyses on the Halloween debate here, here, and here.
With Halloween falling on a Friday night this year, an additional question beyond “Is Halloween goyish?” arises: Is celebrating Halloween “Shabbasdic?” If you, like me, are an observant Jew struggling with the annual Halloween dilemma, hopefully this Oct. 31 will bring you some clarity on the issue.
