Do Jews Celebrate Halloween?

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Do Jews celebrate Halloween? It depends on which Jew you ask.
Our executive editor Dan Friedman is of the opinion that All Jews Should Hate Halloween — And So Should Everybody Else. Others take a more lax approach, including Rabbi Irving Greenberg, who discouraged his own children from trick-or-treating but left out treats for the neighbors, telling Moment Magazine, “If a Jewish child wants to go trick-or-treating for social reasons, it’s not a big deal.”
So how do you, our dear readers, feel about the holiday? Do you delight in any chance to dress up and indulge in treats? Do you make picking out costumes and trick-or-treating a family affair? Do you sit this one out, opting to save your costume ideas for Purim? Or are you just against Halloween in general?
Let us know your thoughts:
Halloween is fast approaching! Are you celebrating or sitting this secular holiday out? ?
— The Forward (@jdforward) October 8, 2018
Have more to say? Leave a comment or send us an email.
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And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
