On October 31, children across America will don their capes and masks and go door-to-door collecting candy and treats to celebrate Halloween. But for many traditional Jewish families and even for some Christian ones, Halloween is a time of unease and discomfort. Parents may question whether or not to let their children participate in a ritual which they see as Gentile, having roots in Christian and/or Pagan culture. These tips will help families navigate this issue in ways that respect both their own religious sensibilities and their kids’ desire to have fun. I know, because they work for me and my family.
• Flexibility is sacred. Don’t immediately assume that participating in Halloween is a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ kind of thing. Blanket permissions and prohibitions are rarely the best course of action to follow, be it in parenting or religious education. Start by asking how you might allow your kids to participate in ways that respect your concerns about certain aspects of the holiday.
• Context Counts. Does the community in which you live generally attach religious significance to Halloween? If your immediate world experiences Halloween as a Christian or Pagan ritual, then you might not want your kids to participate. But if it’s not seen as such, if there is no overtly religious issue around it, then there’s no point in creating one.
• Celebrate difference without becoming divisive. It’s ironic that traditional Jews and conservative Christians have done more to promote the awareness of Halloween as a Christian and/or Pagan holiday than anyone else. Make sure that if you do say ‘no’ to Halloween you do so without teaching your kids to be hostile to their neighbors.
• Remember that Halloween is about giving. Encourage your kids to give out candy even if they are not allowed to go out collecting it. And use Halloween as a time to teach the importance of giving charity. Whether it’s those orange UNICEF boxes or even giving each “Trick or Treat’er” who comes to your door a coin, inviting them to give it to the needy. After all, what could be more traditionally Jewish or Christian than sharing and charity?
• Consider the possibility of Halloween as a time to publicly celebrate your own traditions’ heroes. While Purim provides a costume holiday on the Jewish calendar, and in many communities the just-celebrated holiday of Simchat Torah offers kids the chance to collect candy, in some communities it might be that Halloween is a time to dress kids up as religious heroes and let the whole word see who it is you admire most.
Whatever you do, Halloween is a great opportunity to remind our kids that we are all connected to each other, and whether we are out that night or not, we can look out for each other – for all of the kids on our blocks and in our neighborhoods. We can help each other celebrate good times, and contribute to the observance even of holidays not our own. So whatever we do, Halloween provides wonderful opportunities to honor our own religious particularity and the larger communities to which we all belong.
Beliefnet
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
posted October 17, 2009 at 1:11 pm
My children always participated in Halloween, even though the rabbi who taught them, in Hebrew School, disapproved of it.
My grandchildren now participate in Halloween.
There is NO religious significance to Halloween.
posted October 17, 2009 at 1:17 pm
While your suggestions are commendable – I think that it is important to remember that every holiday is an opportunity to in some way celebrate life. The gathering of friends, dressing up in fun (not evil) costumes, bobbing for apples and playing other games in someones back yard that is lit up with candles…or any type of gathering that promotes a sense of community…is a way to celebrate life! All Hallow’s Eve may have been a religious ritual years ago, but it has lost it’s power…we can celebrate in any way that promotes joy and laughter and a sense of togetherness.
posted October 17, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Since, I am authentically born Jewish and not a Pagan. So, I do not need Halloween. I do celebrate PURIM. Have we gone mad and forget our holidays?
Maybe, this statement helps:
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2006/10/i_hate_hallowee.html
“What I didn’t know was the history of Halloween. It has deplorable, ugly elements. I would deck the house full out in Halloween decoration — but it was my kids who came home years ago and said. ‘hey ma, they use to kill Jews on Halloween. It’s a pagan holiday.’ Apparently Halloween was a night when many pogroms would occur against Jews.”
posted October 17, 2009 at 2:39 pm
this is an occult participation of sorcery and wiCkidness prohihibeted by HASHEMS LAWS, HAVE SOME OF YOU FORGOTTen HASHEMS TORAH? YOU HAVE BEEN BLINDED BY THE WICKEDNESS OF THE EVIL ONE , YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK OF JOB I PRESUME IF YOU ARE JEWISH YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO MIX JUDIASIM INTO THIS PAGAN HOLIDAY. WHAT I MEAN THAT THE FALLEN ANGEL HAS BLINDED SOME OF YOU, AND HASHEM WARNS US ABOUT SUCH PRACTICES IN THE BOOKS OF LEVITICUS AND DUET, READ IT! to
posted October 17, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Considering that you did not offer a yes or no ans to this subject but gave Jewish people advice on how to look at the “problem”
I must commend you on a very thoughtful, well written, enjoyable blog
hugs
Laura
posted October 17, 2009 at 4:16 pm
My daughter will not let our grandson hunt are dye easter eggs are go trick are tricking. What kind of religion is this(if you can call it that)? What is wrong with dying and hunting easter eggs? She did when she was little and she went trick are treating to. She did not dress up like a witch are the devil and we only took her to places we knew and we always went with her.
posted October 17, 2009 at 5:39 pm
What about the holiday’s. Is the celebration of Halloween, Christmas, and Easter is pleasing to Adonai? These day’s is not pleasing to Adonai at all. Halloween is involve with Satan and The Kingdom of Darkness. Just look at the mask and The things that is occasionate with the things that goes on here. It is very clear in the Torah and In the Newer testament don’t sacifice your children to devils. The same thing can be applied to given to A false Christ At Christmas which is called Santa Claus, and Again at Easter is applied here as well with bowing down to a Queen that is called Austre or The Queen of Heaven in the books of 2Kings and The book of Jeremiah. Taking the children away from Yeshaua, and Yeshua said, Suffer ye the little children come unto me which is the kingdom of God.
posted October 17, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Yikes! These posts are scarier than anything I’ve ever seen at Halloween!
posted October 17, 2009 at 10:44 pm
gotta go with Diana on this one. All Hallow’s Eve is the celebration of summer’s end, the harvest’s gathering, and the dwindling presence of the sun. However, the American observance of it is so vastly different from its origins that it has taken on an innocence that can be enjoyed by everyone. Running with the night, becoming other than yourself, visiting door to door for treasured treats or UNICEF, and maybe,just maybe, running into something scary that sets the heart to pounding and makes one want to look again. I’ve never had a problem with it and love the creativity of the costumes that show up at my door every year. It is a pleasure I look forward to every year.
posted October 18, 2009 at 12:37 am
This was well thought out, although I don’t support the idea of Jews celebrating Halloween. It is true that it has pagan, and then Xtain, origins and associations, but it is also true that most children and adults are not aware of this; by now, in US at least, it is just an American tradition supported by candy companies and costume manufacturers. I DO have questions about things, even seemingly harmless and not apparently Pagan at present, having paganism attached to them; I do wonder spiritually what attaches itself still. But in the practical sense, I don’t like the idea of children going around asking for treats; I don’t like the dangers of strangers giving things to children; I don’t like the meaning of the term ‘Trick or Treat’– a threat of getting a ‘trick,’ some nastiness done to one’s home or car, if one does not give a treat. What does this teach and reinforce?
However, I love children, and I realize that some parents, no matter their religion, view Halloween and trick-or-treating as harmless or fun. SO, I buy kosher candy, and try to some have pennies (but not for unicef–that’s another story!!!) to have available for whomever comes to the door.
posted October 18, 2009 at 10:26 am
What is people celebrating the world or Adonai. The word said that “No Man can serve two Master he will love one and hate the other. These days that I mention in part 1 is of the world and not Adonai. Which kingdom are you in> In the book of James said
posted October 18, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Hello,
This is to answer Bonnie about celebration of summer’s end, the harvest’s gathering.
The Bible has a lot to say about celebration of summer’s end, the harvest’s gathering and it is NOT Halloween. It is God’s festival of Succot. It is also called the Feast of Tabernacles or the Ingathering. It is celebrated in the fall about a week after the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). It is God’s harvest festival. It is also known as the Feast for the Nations. It is when all Israel came before God to thank him for the harvest, pray for next years rain for good crops and make sacrifices to Him of 70 animals for the then known 70 nations. It looks forward to the time when God will gather in His saints (holy ones) from the 4 corners of the earth to live with Him.
It is not scary. It is a blessing from God.
Halloween in all it’s paganism is scary.
posted October 18, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Bill and Solomon have very brazenly commented here about rejecting pagan views, and yet they both follow “Yeshua”(aka “Jesus Christ”), who is considered part of a Trinity (G-d divided 3 ways) and who is considered to be a man AND G-d.
Maybe Bill and Solomon should remember that they are the ones mixing Judaism with Pagan teachings. They are the ones that “serve two masters.”
posted October 18, 2009 at 9:27 pm
If you don’t want to celebrate Halloween, then don’t. For those of us who are Pagan, it doesn’t concern us. I do have a question though, some of the statements appear to come from those who are the “jews for jesus”. I find it rather dishonest that such portray themselves as Jews when they really are not Jews, their Christian. Is this something the Jewish community deals with a lot?
posted October 19, 2009 at 2:39 am
I have an idea, instead of giving candy, give “gold” coins, something that is given at Hanukkah any ways in candy form, give out the “gold” dollars ( real US currency that says in G-d we trust)as if you would give for a mitzvah. Think of the bags, pumpkins and boxes as pushka’s and give to show Jewish love to the community of gentiles, pagans and christians alike. If you have a mezuzah on your door like you are supposed to, that they have been pushing for the last 5 minutes they deserve something for their trouble. And if they have any knowledge of Jewish tradition they will realize it is not a door bell and notice the kindness of their Jewish neighbors. Look at it as a teaching opportunity. When they ask why the doorbell didn’t work you can tell them it is part of the “bible” OT, that we should put on our door posts, that may lead to more questions that you may teach others to plant a seed for when they grow up.
posted October 19, 2009 at 2:40 am
I have an idea, instead of giving candy, give “gold” coins, something that is given at Hanukkah any ways in candy form, give out the “gold” dollars ( real US currency that says in G-d we trust)as if you would give for a mitzvah. Think of the bags, pumpkins and boxes as pushka’s and give to show Jewish love to the community of gentiles, pagans and christians alike. If you have a mezuzah on your door like you are supposed to, that they have been pushing for the last 5 minutes they deserve something for their trouble. And if they have any knowledge of Jewish tradition they will realize it is not a door bell and notice the kindness of their Jewish neighbors. Look at it as a teaching opportunity. When they ask why the doorbell didn’t work you can tell them it is part of the “bible” OT, that we should put on our door posts, that may lead to more questions that you may teach others to plant a seed for when they grow up.
posted October 19, 2009 at 2:55 am
Thank you, Emily, for clarifying for me about Bill and Solomon. It always strikes me as so incongruous to see someone refer to Adonai, then quote Christian scripture on this Jewish site.
posted October 19, 2009 at 6:38 am
In my side, I don’t know how to do and how to wear on Halloween. I have no time and my budget is limited. I prefer upload my own picture and send it out to friends and family with a message as a greeting on Halloween at halloween-2009.net/retrieve.php?cid=42
posted October 19, 2009 at 12:07 pm
“Rabbi” Solomon Yehuda:
There is nothing more cerifiably pagan than swinging a chicken around one’e head and proclaiming that its death serves as an atonement for one’s sins- a practice in which I have no doubt you gleefully participate!
Hypocrite!
posted October 19, 2009 at 1:08 pm
English doesn’t seem to be the native language of Bill and Rabbi Solomon. Well, maybe they are Halloween pranksters, or just grade school drop-outs. (???)
posted October 23, 2009 at 1:38 am
Just an idea, you can find e-card at Happy Halloween 2009 for halloween. This site allows for anyone to upload their own picture so they can send it out to friends and family with a message as a greeting on Halloween.
posted October 27, 2009 at 9:29 pm
B”H
Pleae remember that UNICEF, as with many UN organizations, is virulently anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. They have deliberately excluded Israel from the list of countries they support.
Give your money to a worthwhile Jewish charity. Charity begins at home…Yossel