Should Jewish Children Celebrate Halloween?

I have received a number of inquiries about whether or not it is proper or appropriate for Jewish children to celebrate Halloween.  Obviously, this must be a personal choice, yet this background information may be helpful in your decision making process.  I am sharing the following with you for informational purposes only.

 

Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, is the name given to October 31^st or All Saints Day.  It long antedates Christianity.  The two chief characteristics of ancient Halloween were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that this is the one night of the year during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander about.

 

The name Halloween means HALLOWED or HOLY EVENING, because it takes place on the day before All Saints Day.  In the 700’s, the Roman Catholic Church named November 1^st as All Saints Day. The old pagan customs and the Christian feast day were combined into the Halloween festival.

 

All Saints Day is a holy day observed by many Christians on November 1^st.  It honors all Christian saints, especially those who do not have days named for them.  Gradually, the feast was extended to commemorate all saints, in addition to those who had given their lives for their faith.  In the Roman Catholic Church, All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation, when Catholics are required to attend Mass and to refrain from unnecessary servile work.  Halloween takes its name from All Saints Day because October 31^st was called All Hallows Eve, “Eve of all the Holy Ones’ Day.”

 

One could certainly argue that this background information is irrelevant since the ancient pagan atmosphere has long been replaced by the contemporary practice of “trick or treating” which is simply fun for all children regardless of religious heritage.  On the other hand, it is accurate to say that those Jewish families who avoid Halloween do so precisely because of the religious associations outlined above.  It is for this reason that regardless of the choices made by any individual family, it would be inappropriate for any Halloween observance to take place within the synagogue.

 

On one fact all parties can agree – PURIM is the day on which Jews wear costumes, masks and enjoy merry-making in the synagogue!  Although there are some synagogues who tell their congregants that it is forbidden to celebrate Halloween, I am not prepared to make such a blanket statement.  Nevertheless, there are some families who genuinely want to know why Halloween is an issue at all for Jews.  It is in that spirit that this information is being shared with you.  I hope you find it helpful.

 

Shalom,

Rabbi Samuel S. Kieffer