So as far as non-Jewish holidays go, Halloween is by far our favorite. So what if the pagans invented it? We’re always down for candy and playing dress-up. Still, we’re a little disturbed at the news that the L.A. synagogue that writer Sam Shmikler belongs to has cancelled Sunday school in observance of Halloween. Don’t Halloween festivities start at night, after the rabbi goes home and the goblins come out? We know L.A. is the land of costumes and parties, but teaching kids that little boxes of jujubees come before studying Torah is just so wrong.

And sometimes wrong goes the other way: Sam sent along this article about a Washington state school district that has cancelled its traditional Halloween parade because all the witchy-poo stuff is offensive to Wiccans. We’re pretty sure everyone knows that modern witches don’t ride brooms, a popular Halloween image that some Wiccans perceive as a negative stereotype. But shouldn’t the Wiccans be completely stoked that all the good American boys and girls want to celebrate their holiday? We respect all religions, spooky or not, but this just seems to be political over-correctedness on crack. If public schools wanted to have a Purim party, would the Jewish parents yell “negative stereotyping?” if everyone came as Haman? No way. (Okay, sorry, bad analogy as Haman wasn’t Jewish. But please, witches, let the kids have their fun.)