Why don't most frum jews do 4th of july?

amother

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 3:44 pm

BT here. seems like the vast majority of frum jews don't do anything "traditional" for the 4th -- go to see fireworks, have a BBQ, etc.

why? my guess is there's already too many holidays and frum ppl don't want to hassle with yet another holiday.

no judgment either way. just asking why.

p.s. seems like thanksgiving is significantly more popular than the 4th for frum ppl. not so popular, but significantly more. wonder way. maybe that's bc everyone has a 4 day weekend for thanksgiving.

amother

Blueberry

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 3:48 pm

What is the significance to a bbq and fireworks anyway? Americans find any excuse to party but do they really care what they are celebrating? We don’t celebrate anything other than yomim tovim. Kids has camp, we had work, it was just another day.

amother

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 3:55 pm

amother Blueberry wrote:

some care, some don't. you're generalizing a country of 300 million people. obviously for many americans it's just an excuse to get drunk and blow up fireworks. but for plenty, it's about patriotism and celebrating america and celebrating our freedom. and they teach their kids this too. not saying frum jews have to celebrate american secular holidays, but the attitude that american holidays are just a meaningless excuse for the g*yim to get drunk is a little exaggerated.

scintilla

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:06 pm

I don't see the reason for celebrations, I don't do Thanksgiving either. Yes I'm grateful for America and the freedoms it has granted our people but it's Hashem that made it be that way, not the founding fathers. I don't celebrate it with my kids either because I don't want to send the message that this is something important. You want to express hakaras hatov, great, I think that's important too, so I pay my taxes and I'm a law abiding citizen. I respect the country of America but I don't feel that its existence is something for me to celebrate.

There are many times as a Jew where we have sources in Torah for a time to celebrate and those I do. Others seem to me to be chukas hagoyim (literally,for a federal holiday;).

I don't judge anyone who does celebrate it fyi. Just trying to clarify why I don't.

scintilla

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:08 pm

Thisisnotmyreal wrote:

It's the day the Lubavitcher Rebbe arrived to America. I'm celebrating 🎉

Yes and this! It coincides this year the same as it did in 1941 when the Rebbe and Rebbetzin arrived in the United States! Pretty interesting that he arrived on July 4, obviously hashgacha pratis.

amother

Salmon

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:08 pm

Thisisnotmyreal wrote:

It's the day the Lubavitcher Rebbe arrived to America. I'm celebrating 🎉

this has nothing to do with july 4th.
this is a day on the Jewish calendar.
28 Sivan.
However, NO ONE should ever celebrate the Rebbe with a BBQ or fireworks.
Such a day is celebrated by learning more an davening more.

amother

Clover

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:09 pm

Chassidish here. My father is an immigrant and he always took us to see fireworks. We often have bbqs on July 4th. Not because it's meaningful, but because most people don't have to work, so it's convenient.
Thanksgiving is more of a thing because the traditional celebrations are more meaningful than fireworks and a BBQ.

amother

Electricblue

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:10 pm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=.....3D%3D

When I went to a Chasidish sleep away camp as a kid every July 4th was a big day of celebration. We had a professional fireworks company come down and do a fireworks show at night.

We had BBQ for dinner , a July 4th carnival . Such good memories.
I don’t think they do those things anymore

amother

Floralwhite

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:23 pm

I'm a fourth generation American on one side, my grandfather, his brothers and my uncles are all veterans, we're a real American family but at the same time, we're guests here, Jews always are. We never celebrated July 4 but we always mentioned it, maybe had cupcakes or something and talked about the privilege of living in a country that grants us the freedom to exist as Jews.
Now though, I don't give it much thought, I don't feel patriotic anymore, the current antisemitism, the political dysfunction, the breakdown of basic values, I can't proudly call myself American anymore

Thisisnotmyreal

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:23 pm

amother Salmon wrote:

Only Rashbi gets BBQs. I didn't say how I'm celebrating and also, the Rebbe did in fact reference legislation of July 4th in connection with chof ches Sivan.

The Rebbe has called Americans (unedited) chassidei umos haolam or (edited) the medina shel chessed.

Last edited by Thisisnotmyreal on Thu, Jul 04 2024, 5:55 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Snowflake

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:25 pm

amother Salmon wrote:

You sound like a fun person to be around

amother

Sienna

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:50 pm

My extended family usually does a BBQ. This year everyone has something going on over the summer and we couldn't make it happen. As a kid my mother would put us in red white & blue lol. We are yeshivish I guess but have been in the US for many generations.

amother

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:50 pm

giftedmom wrote:

We are Jews first and we have our own holidays

this doesn't really answer the question. for you and the people thumbs upping this: is it more that you don't have time for secular american holidays / not care enough to make a big deal about them? or is it more that you hold that it's not jewish to celebrate secular american holidays? again, just trying to understand - no judgment. your answer just isn't clear and helpful.

amother

Blueberry

Thu, Jul 04 2024, 4:53 pm

amother OP wrote:

It’s that what type of celebration is it? My family and school didn’t celebrate and it wasn’t with a reason. We just didn’t. I think the celebrations in America leave much to be desired. I’m more impressed with England for example and how they celebrate things. And I just don’t have a desire to do it. And like I said it’s a regular day for so many of us it’s not like we are all off and sitting at home with time on our hands.