A Thanksgiving Message from Darin

Dr. Darin S. Katz March 25, 2024

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays; Americans of any faith tradition, or of no tradition, can enjoy it. After all, an “attitude of gratitude” is universally appreciated. As it happens, Thanksgiving may well have had its origins in Sukkot, when we give of the abundant fall harvest, and are commanded in the Book of Deuteronomy to rejoice and be happy, וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ בְּחַגֶּ֑ך (vesamachta bechagecha), which the Puritans may have known from their study of the Old Testament. 

This Thanksgiving, however, will not be an entirely happy one. How could it be? We are still mourning the loss of our beloved Coach Tony Sanders to complications of the coronavirus last spring, and there are many others in our community who are ill. Many in our community  have suffered financial hardships; families have been separated due to physical distancing recommendations; teachers, parents, and students in our community have had to quarantine since in-person learning resumed in September. 

Despite the sadness, uncertainty, and vulnerability wrought by the pandemic, I feel inspired to express gratitude for the blessings in our lives, especially this Thanksgiving. Personally, I am tremendously grateful for our Hillel kehillah (community). As you know, my family remains in Pennsylvania this year so that my son Jonah can finish his senior year of high school. Although I miss them terribly, to have landed in metro Detroit has been a gift. I have been embraced by our entire community, and we have quickly become family. As a community, we have accomplished so much together already this year: 51 days (and counting!) of in-person learning; a robust flexible model learning program for students at home who have formed a tight-knit micro-community while still very much connected to our larger student body; the delivery of a much-improved remote learning program while we pause on in-school learning over Thanksgiving; improvements to our Ivrit curriculum; and increased transparency about the way we conduct and use data from standardized assessments. There is no question that our students have benefited from all of these important improvements.

So this year, although the extended Katz family will celebrate from five different locations, we will continue to “go around the table” and share something for which we are grateful this year. If your family does not already do something similar, I encourage you to start! Individuals who routinely express gratitude have been proven to be happier in general -- this is an important lesson for our children no matter how young they are. 

“Days of Gratitude”

A larger, communal six-month exercise in gratitude also returns this year, with Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools’ “Days of Gratitude,” starting on Chanukah and culminating with a worldwide celebration before Shavuot. Powered by M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education and developed in partnership with dozens of organizations, “Days of Gratitude” invites the general public to count our blessings and bless what counts. Every month, participants will be invited to embark on an experience featuring prompts, resources, and activities designed to increase resilience and hope at a time when we need them most. Learn about it here

Thanksgiving will look and feel very differently this year; nevertheless, let’s all be present in the moment and thank God for what we do have. May you and your loved ones be blessed with good health, happiness, peace, and an abundance of gratitude.

חג הודיה שמח /Chag hodayah sameach /Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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Dr. Darin S. Katz

Dr. Darin S. Katz is Head of School at Hillel Day School.