Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life
Celebrating Jewish Life in Connecticut
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November 2025
Dear Coalition Community,
At the end of this month, Americans around the country will gather for Thanksgiving. The
holiday, which actually has its origins in the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, is often marked by a
family gathering symbolizing abundance and gratitude. The Times of Israel wrote that the
pilgrims harvest feast is seen as an imitation of Sukkot, with an acknowledgement of God’s
bounty being central to the observance.
Judaism is not a religious tradition that is short on gratitude practices. In fact, we are taught by
the early rabbis that cultivating a daily ritual of gratitude is central to Jewish life. It is the first act
of our day, waking and reciting the Modeh Ani prayer which thanks God for returning our soul
back to us after sleeping. The morning Psalms are full of words of thanksgiving – Hodo Ladonay
Ki Tov, Ki Le’olam Hasdo (Give thanks to God because God is God, God’s loving-kindness is
everlasting). Judaism sees gratitude and thankfulness as central, essential, and powerful.
Many years ago, I began to keep a gratitude bin. It was not something that started all at once,
but over time I realized that it was important to recall the moments when I had been especially
grateful for the people in my life, in my work, and in my circles of connection. Whether it was out
of thankfulness for the ways in which they showed up for me, thankfulness for the moments we
shared together, or thankfulness for the ways in which they had offered specific support, I found
comfort in being able to return to that bin and see the collected stories. In that bin I have the first
thank you note I ever received from a couple I married, a small gift from a dear friend who did a
thru-hike with me many years ago, and a letter from a refugee family that my agency resettled
shortly after I arrived at JFS in Springfield. These are all special moments that I carry with me.
As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving, I invite you to explore what it is that you are
grateful for this year, who it is that you are grateful for, and when as your gratitude been most
apparent to you. Through this exploration, I think we can find the meaning of this holiday –
connection with the ones we love and connection to the Earth that sustains all of us.
However you celebrate, I hope that your Thanksgiving is one of celebration, community, and
connection to the gratitude we all share.
TZEDAKAH APPEAL:
During this desperate time for many, we think of and reach out to the many who are struggling.
HIAS : “Welcome the Stranger. Protect the Refugee” The oldest refugee agency in the world, established in 1902 as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. http://hias.org
JDC: JDC uses impact measurement to reflects the diversity and scope of their diverse, long-standing global work, applies a unified philosophy to decentralized and program-driven systems that are customized to each area of their work. https://www.jdc.org/our-impact/
American Jewish Committee: addressing challenges Jews are facing worldwide, defending Democratic values for all. ajc.org
MEMBER PICKS…
FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE
“The Last Kings of Shanghai,” by Jonathan Kaufman
Review: “In vivid detail… examines the little-known history of two extraordinary dynasties.”–The Boston Globe
“Not just a brilliant, well-researched, and highly readable book about China’s past, it also reveals the contingencies and ironic twists of fate in China’s modern history.”–LA Review of Books
An epic, multigenerational story of two rival dynasties who flourished in Shanghai and Hong Kong as twentieth-century China surged into the modern era, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
The Sassoons and the Kadoories stood astride Chinese business and politics for more than one hundred seventy-five years, profiting from the Opium Wars; surviving Japanese occupation; courting Chiang Kai-shek; and nearly losing everything as the Communists swept into power.
Jonathan Kaufman tells the remarkable history of how these families ignited an economic boom and opened China to the world, but remained blind to the country’s deep inequality and to the political turmoil on their doorsteps. In a story stretching from Baghdad to Hong Kong to Shanghai to London, Kaufman enters the lives and minds of these ambitious men and women to forge a tale of opium smuggling, family rivalry, political intrigue and survival.
OTHER RECOMMENDED MEDIA
European historical drama“The Empress” on NETFLIX.
JEWISH News and Culture:
https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/language-literature-culture/the-shmooze
An aggregator that is regularly updated with a huge breadth of content and all sorts of goodies and surprises!
For example, the“Daily Guide to Zoom Events, Livestream and Other Online Resources.” Among the wide range of subjects, programs and activities you’ll see here are: “The Only Jewish Miss America” (Museum of Jewish Heritage), “Mindfulness Melodies” (Jewish Life in Maine), “Art as a Spiritual Practice,” A Midwives, Musicians, Soldiers and Rabbis: Whose Stories will Become History?,” “Bioethics During a Pandemic,” etc., etc.
And other treats too! Recipes for the holidays and everyday: “Potato Chip Schnitzel, Shwarma Chicken Kabobs, Roasted Butternut Squash with Orange Tahini, Briskett Tacos, Ethiopian Red Lentil Soup,” etc., etc…
Come visit and linger, you’ll be glad you did!
ACTIVITIES TO CONSIDER
Lifelong Peer Learning Program
Adult continuing education through peer learning, to find out more please visit:
https://www.lp2nyc.org/who-we-are/join-us/
https://www.gc.cuny.edu/lifelong-peer-learning-program
Brookfield Craft Center
The Brookfield Craft Center is dedicated to teaching traditional and contemporary craft skills and fostering the appreciation of fine craftsmanship. Learn and grow with our artistic community: