Erev Thanksgiving 2025: Sharing Gratitude, Desserts, and Connection
- Genesis of Ann Arbor
- 5 minutes ago
- 2 min read
On Erev Thanksgiving this year, we'll take a new approach to an enduring tradition.
On Sunday, November 23 at 7 p.m., members of our two congregations will gather in the Social Hall for an evening of music, desserts, and conversation.
For fifty years now, the Erev Thanksgiving gathering has provided an opportunity to take a moment to pause together in gratitude before we each celebrate the holiday in our own ways with our families and loved ones.
Over the years, the evening has taken a variety of forms, from in‑person interfaith services to hybrid in‑person and Zoom programs, each reflecting its own time and circumstance. Until recent years, though, it had always been held on the evening prior to Thanksgiving, hence the name.
This year, our clergy decided to make Erev Thanksgiving entirely a social event rather than a service — a chance to simply get together, break cake, and deepen the friendships that make Genesis what it is.
The evening will begin at 7 p.m. with a dessert potluck organized by the Genesis Events Committee, the newly‑reconstituted social events planning juggernaut that also hosted the Mud Hens outing earlier this year, plans to host an annual picnic starting next June, and plans to take a leading role in organizing future Erev Thanksgiving events.
Guests are invited to bring a favorite sweet or snack to share, along with a bag of white rice for donation to the Back Door Food Pantry.
Both choirs will join in song, and Rabbi Josh Whinston and Rev. Anne Clarke will offer their reflections on gratitude. Conversation prompts will be placed on tables to help spark new connections — an invitation to sit with someone from the other congregation, share stories, and discover how much we have in common.
“Like all our Erev Thanksgivings, this year’s is a bit of an experiment. I’m looking forward to creating space for people to connect with old and new friends during this season of gratitude.” — Rev. Anne Clarke
The last two Erev Thanksgiving celebrations bookended our anniversary year, which we kicked off at the 2023 service. The 2024 event commemorated 50 years since the December 1974 signing of the Genesis Agreement, the founding document that joined our two congregations in partnership, and premiered this documentary short featuring the recollections of Genesis founders.
The first Erev Thanksgiving service was held in 1975, after Genesis had been formally dedicated with a joint service that May, recalls Jim Downward. During a typical service since then, “we read both from the Torah and the Christian bible. Both choirs performed [together]. Genesis folk sat on the Bema.”
On November 23, come join us in giving thanks for all we enjoy, including our remarkable extended community.