When I think back to my childhood in the 1960s, I realize that the wonderful memories of Shabbos and Yom Tov, which have stuck with me until today, had a major impact on how I live my life. Let me take you on a brief journey through my childhood years, which reflect not only on my family but also on the Baltimore community in those not-so-far-off days.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Before Rosh Hashanah, my mother would search the stores for special new fruits. There was a fruit and flower stand at Reisterstown Road at Mortimer Avenue that

As many of us have already noticed, this year, Thanksgiving occurs on the first day of Chanukah. This rare event has caused much discussion and interest in the calendar. Although many of us remember Chanukah beginning during the weekend of Thanksgiving (e.g., in 1975 and 2002, Chanukah began on Friday night, the day after Thanksgiving), no one seems to remember a time when Chanukah and Thanksgiving actually coincided.

Why is this occurrence so infrequent? Chanukah usually falls in the civil calendar during the month of December. In “early years,” it begins in late November, and in “late years” it ends in early January. This year, the first day of Chanukah is on November 28th. This is an extremely early day in the solar calendar. In the 20th century, this only happened once, in 1994, when Chanukah began on Monday, November 28th. Thanksgiving that year was on the previous Thursday (see below what was special about that Chnaukah).