Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me some yummy latkes to eat! Every year, many Jews grapple with the question of celebrating Halloween. 

There are many things that people do not know about the “holy day” Halloween. First, Halloween has religious roots in Paganism and Christianity. For these religions, Halloween is the “hallowed eve” of Day of the Dead and All Saints Day. Finally, October 31st has a history of many Jewish pogroms.

Yet, many people now agree that Halloween has become “Americanized” and “commercialized” and has lost many of its religious and negative connotations. 

“Every family should be able to make its own decision about celebrating Halloween,” Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg of United Hebrew Congregation said, “but it should be an informed decision.”

Rosenberg and her family have chosen not to celebrate Halloween, but still give out candy to all of the kids that come by in their neighborhood. 

“Although we don’t celebrate Halloween ourselves, we are still a part of the community,” Rosenberg said.

Rabbi Carnie Rose from Congregation B’nai Amoona agrees with this concept, also giving candy to the trick-or-treaters that stop by his house, despite the fact that his own family does not celebrate Halloween.

“Judaism is more of a society about giving than taking,” Rose said.

Although this may often be the case, there are ways to add a “Jewish twist” to Halloween.

“If you are going to celebrate Halloween, see how you could put some Judaic flavor in it,” Rose said. 

To add “Jewish Flare” to Halloween, Rose suggests collecting money for UNICEF or cans for a food pantry, as well as collecting candy. This adds a way to give back to the community while still having a “sweet” night.

Both rabbis agree that with having so many Jewish holidays, they do not see a need to celebrate Halloween. 

“If we take in the rhythms of our own religion, then we don’t need other distractions,” Rose said.

Similar views are shared among many people throughout the Jewish community. Gil Melnick,  a senior at Traditional Congregation, knows much about Halloween and chooses not to celebrate it.

“Because of the heavy Pagan and Christian influences on Halloween, I think that Jewish people certainly do not need to celebrate Halloween,” Gil said. 

Rather than focusing on “missing out” on Halloween, Gil chooses to delve into his Judaism.

“The Jewish culture and religion is full of great, meaningful holidays that can be much more fun and educational than Halloween,” Gil said. •