On the Chocolate Trail

This week will haunt Jewish parents with ambivalence about ghoulish begging for treats and taunt many of us with temptations of free, sugary treats. Despite my inner Halloween scrooge, my children enjoyed creative costuming and hoarding of the goodies as kids. Halloween’s roots are pagan and Catholic, with gluttony to be atoned for at Yom

In response to a recent request: (fuller information in my forthcoming book Jews on the Chocolate Trail: Stories of Jews and Cacao) 1.  Some people think that Jews brought chocolate to France. 2.  In the eighteenth century, Jews were thought to be specialists in chocolate making. 3.  Woody Guthrie wrote a song about Chanukah gelt.