This Halloween, Prepare Your Children For Scary People

[Mary Etheldreda]

Halloween brings out the worst in people. Satan's power is strongest on this day, and evil can be masked as mischief.

[Daisy Mae Johnson]

Re: This Halloween, Prepare Your Children For Scary People

Amen to that Sister!

You can never trust black men or pigeons.

Is it any wonder black men strut like pigeons when they walk? Pigeons are also thieves like the common negra. Now that is scary!

[I Man Rastafari]

Re: This Halloween, Prepare Your Children For Scary People

I know all you white people are scared of Black men and you should be because you made us slaves and you owe us your watch and your car. You probably don't know this because you don't know any Black people but Black people are scared of Black people too. And monkeys. There is nothing scarier than a monkey.

[Pastor Ezekiel]

Re: This Halloween, Prepare Your Children For Scary People

I know all you white people are scared of Black men and you should be because you made us slaves and you owe us your watch and your car. You probably don't know this because you don't know any Black people but Black people are scared of Black people too. And monkeys. There is nothing scarier than a monkey.

For once I agree with the coon. Monkeys do look like his tribe.

[I Man Rastafari]

Re: This Halloween, Prepare Your Children For Scary People

Last night I stayed at the dormitory for white girls here in Madison Wisconsin so that I could be well hidden from the activities outside. I could see out of a window and I did not see any children asking for candy. There were very many white boys drinking beer and making rude comments to the white girls. It is no wonder that I am so successful among the white girls in Wisconsin. Later they caught a Black man who was delivering pizza to one of the fraternity houses and they pretended to hang him from a tree. It looked like good fun and I was tempted to go down and join in even though I do not drink beer. The white girls did not want me to go so I stayed. This morning I could see that the pizza man had so much fun that he stayed all night up in that tree. The police were called by someone who does not like Black men to come and tell him to get out of that tree and go home. He is gone now but I think he had gone to sleep before the police got there and they had to help him down.

[Michael Hezekiah Esq]

Re: This Halloween, Prepare Your Children For Scary People

I spoke with a Rabbi (Ron Isaacs) from New Jersey about Halloween. While I have no kids, I was curious what Jewish families should do when it comes to this harmless, secular holiday.

As Halloween is celebrated nowadays, it is mostly about trick-or-treating, dressing up, having fun and getting free candy, with few or no religious overtones. That said, there are issues about celebrating it that are Jewishly problematic and are worthy of consideration by thoughtful Jewish parents.
There is a halachic prohibition against a belief in sorcerers and magic. Some of this begins with the biblical tale of Saul, who consulted a fortune teller instead of God about his future. His misjudgment resulted in Saul losing both his throne and his mind.
As long as parents discuss with their children the difference between believing in sorcery and reality, I see no significant objection here. Most of my objections are related to the conflicts that can arise between celebrating Halloween and doing the right thing, Jewishly. For example, for the family that keeps kashrut, there is surely the issue of whether some of the candy and food that their kids will “bag” will meet the Jewish edible standards. But this could be addressed by carefully “sifting” through the candy, and donating all unacceptable items to a food bank for other children who can partake without religious restrictions.
A more serious conflict arises when Halloween coincides with Shabbat, Jewish holidays or Hebrew school attendance. What kind of message is a parent giving to his or her child when he or she is told that to going out trick-or-treating takes precedence over Jewish study or celebrating Shabbat and other Jewish holidays?
Parents may also wish to consider the values suggested by Halloween, such as demanding sweets from strangers. The original saying is in actuality a threat: “If you don’t give me a treat, I’ll give you a trick.”
Can Jewish kids live without these ghosts, goblins and candy? I certainly think so. Will it do irreparable damage to their Jewish identities if they participate? Probably not.
The thing NOT to do is fill your kids full of fear by suggesting their participation in a harmless and fun quest for sweets will cause G_d to strike them down.