The Fourth on the Fifth

Our supermarket order got mixed up on the 2nd so we didn't do July 4th on the 3rd but on the 5th.

What is July 4th in a Jewish-Israeli-British-American family?

An unusual weeknight special dinner when we can talk about history, ideas, culture and family stories over sausages and water melon. Sometimes I think we should put together a haggadah for seder July 4th.

First and foremost it's a se'udat hodaya, a thanksgiving meal, DH's grandparents would have each year to commemorate the anniversary of their arrival from the shattered ruins of post-Holocaust Europe to a fresh start in the USA. Travelling with my infant Mother-in-Law they journeyed from a DP camp in Austria to the US on a military flight via Iceland they arrived in America on July 4 1949.

"But if immigration quotas had been removed in the 1930s maybe more of great-Bubbe and great-Zayde's families would have been alive to emigrate to safety as well" noted our teen.

This led to a discussion of how often people see a train fast approaching but have faith that it will actually slam on the breaks in time before crashing or derailing. In the thick of things it is hard to believe that a situation really will deteriorate drastically, because as adaptable as humans are, it is hard to grasp just how bad a situation can become.

My son had been wearing one of his baseball shirts earlier in the day, a gift from his American grandparents, but after a frenetic round of basketball with his younger brothers he changed his shirt. To a Brazil football jersey. "It's a shame they don't really do much good football in the US" said our devoted Arsenal fan. "I'm really glad they have baseball though, I wish more countries would get in to that."

The little kids wanted to know why all independence days in all countries are celebrated with BBQ sausages, water melon and fireworks. Not that we had fireworks here, but they are old enough to remember and have watched firework clips on YouTube from previous years. Our middle child explained that this was a common minhag (custom) for happy times, but that on Yom Haatzmaut we have marshmallows while on July 4th we have corn and potato salad.

Each year the kids are shocked afresh that the US national anthem mentions bombs and rockets and a flag. "Why don't they sing about hope and freedom like we do in Israel?" "America the Beautiful" definitely seems to be their preference. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my bookworm oldest child knew about the War of 1812 and Francis Scott Key, which led to talking about the British difficulty in coming to terms with American independence in contrast with the 20th century decline of the British Empire.

Our native Israeli kids born in their indigenous homeland identify strongly with native Americans in the story, especially in the days leading up to 17 Tammuz, one of the most sombre days of the Jewish year commemorating several calamities, most notably the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by the besieging Roman army. Our teen compared the Jewish people being forced in to exile by the Babylonians and slavery by the Romans with Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears. "At least the US finally joined in the war against the Nazis though and the Jackson-Vanik amendment was important too."

We asked the kids what America means to them, something they like about it and are glad for. Everyone's immediate answer "Bubbe, Zayde and all our cousins and aunties and uncles and all the Claires."

Also doughnuts, squirrels, big rivers, shuls with big children's services and lots of sweets, Country and Bluegrass, big trains, cool cars, fun museums, blueberries and Philadelphia cream cheese.