The turkey and stuffing were cleared away, the pumpkin pie reduced to crumbs, and the men were stealthily un-notching their belts. The hostess looked over the carnage and declared, “This is the last time I do this.”

Two guests at the table, both Sabbath-observant Jews, exchanged glances that said: “Oy, please. We do this every week.”

Thanksgiving raises many questions, about gratitude, and family, and who gets the comfy chair after dinner. But it also makes us wonder, Who snuck a Jewish holiday onto the American calendar? Like any Jewish holiday, it has a back story grounded in myth and history, a prescribed set of rituals, and an emphasis on the family table as a setting for worship and fellowship.

The American Jewish Committee has in recent years taken this one step further, by creating a “seder” for the Thanksgiving meal. “America's Table” is a sort of secular Haggada offering inspiration and contemplation to be shared among the dinner guests. This year's version celebrates “our diverse roots and shared values.” Included are testimonials from an array of activists and community leaders, including the founder of the Hindu American Foundation, a Holocaust survivor, an Iraqi exile who founded the American Islamic Congress, and a Korean-born woman who heads the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

It's a lovely service, old-fashioned in its patriotism and up-to-date in its diversity. “We are thankful for the freedom to worship,” it reads. “We are thankful for the freedom to speak our minds. We are thankful for the freedom to change our minds. We are thankful for the freedom to chart our lives. We are thankful for the freedom to work for a better world. We are thankful for the freedom to celebrate this day.

“In America, each of us is entitled to a place at the table.”

It's not too late to download a copy.