By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

DOWNTOWN - When Robert Peraza of Mason came to the United States as a Cuban refugee in 1961, one of the first American holidays he celebrated was Thanksgiving.

"Complete strangers invited me to their American family Thanksgiving," said Peraza, now the president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commercein Cincinnati and a retiree of Procter & Gamble Co. "I felt the warmth and generosity of Americans."

On Friday, Peraza celebrated an early Thanksgiving with more than 30 other people of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds at a luncheon hosted by the American Jewish Committee, Cincinnati chapter.

"We give thanks every single day. When there's a chance to gather and give thanks collectively, you can't pass that up," said Karen Dabdoub, administrator of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnatiin West Chester.

The celebration began with a reading of the AJC's America's Table: A Thanksgiving Reader, in which people of varying faiths and ethnic backgrounds write about their experiences.

More than 30 people read together the words "We are each part of America's journey," in accents from the around the world.

"America derives its creative strength from the diversity of its people," said Jay Price, president of the chapter. "Although we often spend too little time reflecting on the day's significance, Thanksgiving is America's unifying holiday."

Jacqui Vidourek, president of the Japanese Americans League in Cincinnati, attended the event last year and made sharing the reader a family event. She plans to do so again this year.

"I think it's a very good way to start the season," she said.

Before the meal itself, Rev. Linda Bartholomew, of Christ Church Cathedral downtown, began with an opening prayer that included each member saying the name of the being to whom they pray, be it God, Allah, the Great Spirit, Shiva or Elohenu Melech Haolam (Our God, King of the Universe in Hebrew).

Jeanne Marie Brightfire, a Shawnee and Cherokee Indian of the North American Indian Council, sees the event as an opportunity to connect with people of other backgrounds with a similar goal - a world that celebrates diversity.

"We look at the rainbow, and we stop and say, 'Isn't that beautiful?' We can look in this room and say the same thing," said Brightfire, of Springfield Township.

"America's Table: A Thanksgiving Reader" is available online at www.ajc.org