Actually nothing, but it feels like the month of December was
hijacked with all the activities and turmoil swirling around the school and the
holidays, starting with, I think, the arson attack on the 29th of
November. Fresh from a wonderful
Thanksgiving week that included Shabbat “Thanksgiving” dinner with a co-worker
and her family, we were stunned by the arson damage to the school and the
response from, literally, the world. That
week following the attack itself is a minor blur compared to the complete
blur leading up to Hanukkah.
If you didn’t know already, in response to the attack, the
White House reached out to Hand in Hand and the result was another flurry of
activity. Suddenly, we were finding two
students from the Jerusalem school who could go to the White House for an
official Hanukkah Party and Hanukkiah candle lighting. As if that wasn’t enough, let’s make a
special Hanukkiah (Holiday Menorah for those of you who don’t know) for the
event.
I watched as the plans took form, from the base, made of a slab of olive wood from the neighborhood of the school covered with little handprints, to the holders for each of the candles bearing the core principles of the school; the design, construction, and decoration accomplished by the students most directly affected by the attack.
I watched as the plans took form, from the base, made of a slab of olive wood from the neighborhood of the school covered with little handprints, to the holders for each of the candles bearing the core principles of the school; the design, construction, and decoration accomplished by the students most directly affected by the attack.
So just before Hanukkah began, our representatives left for
Washington, DC.
Finally time to take a breath and dive into the two big
holidays, Hanukkah and Christmas.
Yay!
I have to admit, so far? Hanukkah is my favorite Jewish
holiday. As wonderful as they all are,
and they are, Hanukkah has always had a special place in my heart, and
experiencing it in Jerusalem just made it more, well, magical for me. I can’t add outside photos for this one, because my
camera isn’t set up for nighttime photography, but imagine my candle loving delight,
riding home on the bus while candles glowed in windows and on front lawns, in
front of stores and in parks and neighborhood rotaries. On the first night, people were literally dancing
in the street celebrating, remembering and publishing the news that A Great Miracle
Happened Here!
Every night I came back to my dorm room to light my little
menorah, posting the photo on Facebook with a comment about the holiday,
including sharing this offering from the Maccabeats.
Sadly, Hanukkah only lasts a short time (although I have
candles left over and I’m still enjoying them) but I’ll always
carry with me the memories of this magical holiday.
The lights, the candles, the sufganiyot
and the latkes,
and yes even the dreidel which I now play with a new
understanding and appreciation.
Feel the need to learn more about Hanukkah?
Happy New Year, Kathi. Your blogs are bring the Holy Land closer to us and I'm grateful for your reflections.
ReplyDeletethanks Mike!
ReplyDeleteI love reading these Kathi. Insightful and fresh, touching and real.
ReplyDeleteBart
I enjoyed our Skype conference call with you at AJC! I obviously had not read this post in your blog before our meeting or I would not have asked you about the Hanukkah at the White House. I see you already know about two valuable Jewish web sites: MyJewishLearning.com and jewfaq.org. Aren't they great?! Also http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ is very helpful. I also thought Hanukkah was very special in Israel. But weren't you impressed with all of the Sukkot in everyone's balcony on Sukkot? And wait till you get to Purim! Have a great time!
ReplyDelete