As someone who is a dues-paying member of Shearith Israel, I was most pleased to hear Dr. Soloveichik’s remarks that day.
Nothing is inherently Jewish about a latke. Germans and other goyim eat potato pancakes and hash browns all the time.
American Jews across the country, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, will be proudly sitting down with their families to enjoy turkey, stuffing, latkes, sweet potato latkes, gravy, candied yams, mashed potatoes, sufganiyot, pumpkin pie, apple cider, and all the trimmings. I’ll be davening at Shearith Israel, where they conduct the Minchat Todah in honor of Thanksgiving, and where we’ll be watching the parade afterwards. After that, I’ll be volunteering at a kohser Thanksgiving meal for the poor and elderly, and at night, I’ll be enjoying an Empire turkey, latkes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and all the trimmings with family, as a proud Jewish American.