This post didn’t go out earlier, due to server problems. I want to wish a belated Chag Sameach to the AHS Jewish Community.
Sukkot/The Feast of Tabernacles – October 14th
Monday, October 14, the calendar shows the federal holiday Columbus Day and the Jewish holiday Sukkot.
Sukkot is a harvest holiday, meant to “mark the end of the harvest time” as well as commemorate the Jewish exodus from Egypt. Observant families may build a sukkah in their yard and have meals there for 7 days. A sukkah is a traditional tent or arbor-like structure hung with harvest plants. Some families may refrain from work on the first day. The AHS community wishes Chag Sameach to our Jewish community.
This year, Sukkot coincides with Columbus Day, a federal holiday, and therefore we will not have school on Monday. Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. It has a complicated and controversial history. The holiday was introduced as a way of recognizing the European discovery of the Americas and celebrating Italian-American heritage. However, the actions of Columbus in the New World and the impact on indigenous Americans have led many states to repurpose the holiday. The states of Florida, Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, South Dakota, New Mexico,and Maine do not recognize it and have each replaced it with celebrations of Indigenous People’s Day (in Hawaii, Discoverers’ Day, in South Dakota, Native American Day).
All the best,
Dr. J
NOTE: Our school calendar includes holidays and observances that are significant in our community. As a regular feature, I try to send updates on these observances and information on accommodations. We are not always familiar with all the holidays, with which religions are represented in our classrooms, or with the nature of different traditions. I encourage you to send me notes to educate us on the appropriate and positive ways to recognize and support the diversity of our community. Also, please notify your teachers well in advance of any special considerations you feel you need, so that they can make appropriate plans.
SOURCES: For anyone wondering, I gather this information from Wikipedia, information sent to me, a few college interfaith chaplain sites, and greeting cards. I don’t use quotations or citations much, because I am claiming neither expertise nor scholarship. Kids, don’t do this for homework