Thursday, November 17, 2005

What's so terrible about turkey?

Thanksgiving. Time to ask the annual question. Why are many Orthodox Jews hostile to the idea of eating a big turkey dinner?

It's not like we've never borrowed customs. Yeshiva boys wear gangster hats. Upshurin originated with Muslims. Hasidim dress like something out of a Rembrant painting. Much of the Jewish wedding is borrowed, as are many of our supersitions and ideas about demons. Costumes at Purim were taken from Lenten carnival, and blotting out the name of Haman comes from Christian practices, too.

So tell me please, what's so terrible about turkey?