Faith in Action by Alberta Lindsey
Honoring Family and Freedom
Hanukkah Memories are Precious
Every Hanukkah, Inge Horowitz
climbs the stairs to her attic and brings out her Hanukkah box. It is filled
with memories of past celebrations.
Among the things in the box are the words to “Light One Candle” and a copy
of a letter written by the sister of a family member to her children. The
song and the letter are a part of every Hanukkah observance at the Horowitz
house in Richmond’s West End.
Hanukkah, which begins this year at sundown on Dec. 4, is an eight-day
celebration marking a victory in religious freedom. The Jewish holiday also
is known as the Festival of Lights. The holiday is centered on activities in
the home rather than the synagogue.
Two other religious faiths also celebrate holidays in December. Christians
mark the birth of Jesus on Dec. 25 and Muslims observe Eid al Adha, the
Festival of the Sacrifice, on Dec. 20. Eid al Adha celebrates the end of the
pilgrimage to Mecca.
Treasures in the Box
For Horowitz, the song and the letter hold special memories.
“Light One Candle” was her mother’s favorite song. Her mom, who died in
1994, sang it to her children every Hanukkah, Horowitz recalled.
The song, recorded by folk singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary,
says: “Light one candle for the Maccabee children, give thanks that their
light didn’t die….Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice justice and
freedom demand. Light one candle for the wisdom to know when the
peacemakers’ time is at hand.”
When the Horowitz family gathers this year, they also will take turns
reading the letter stored in the box. It lists the gifts the youngsters will
receive each night of Hanukkah, gifts which don’t cost money.
The first night, the children’s gift is love. Each night a new gift is
added, including Judaism, family, home, security, freedom, optimism and
knowledge, said Horowitz, her voice choking with emotion as she named the
gifts.
In the letter, the children tell their mom they like the presents but they
want real packages. Their mother explains that the gifts they have received
are more important than those wrapped in pretty paper. “These presents won’t
wear out, get broken or old. And no one can take them from you….You must
hold and treasure them.”
Lighting the Menorah
Of course, the Horowitz family, which includes two children and five
grandchildren, will light candles. One of the oldest traditions associated
with the Hanukkah celebration is the lighting of the menorah, a candelabrum
that holds nine candles.
A
new candle is lighted each night during the eight-day celebration, using the
ninth candle.
Horowitz and her husband, Harold, don’t limit the celebration to family.
Friends also are included.
“I ask people to bring their own menorahs,” Horowitz said. “One year someone
brought a tray with water in it and floated little candles in it. That was
their menorah. Some people have very elaborate menorahs.”
Hanukkah’s History
The family probably will read the story of the Maccabees. In 165 B.C., Judah
the Maccabee and his soldiers triumphed against the Syrians after a 28-year
war of oppression and religious persecution. The Maccabees recaptured
Jerusalem and reconsecrated the temple. Hanukkah begins on the day the
temple was rededicated.
During the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem, only enough oil was
available to light the temple for one night, according to legend.
Miraculously, the lamp burned for eight days.
“Just as the brave Maccabee soldiers fought for freedom, our brave soldiers
are fighting today [in Iraq] for our freedom,” Horowitz said.
Time for Food, Games, Gifts
It is traditional to eat fried foods during Hanukkah because of the
significance of oil to the holiday. Among these are latkes, made from grated
potatoes, fried in oil and served with apple sauce and sometimes sour cream,
Horowitz explained.
Doughnuts also are associated with the holiday. Horowitz serves store-bought
doughnuts rather than frying her own.
Nestled in Horowitz’s Hanukkah Box is a plastic bag filled with dreidels,
including one carved by her grandfather in Germany.
A dreidel is a square top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The letters
stand for a Hebrew phrase, “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham”—a great miracle happened
there—referring to the miracle of the oil. Players spin the dreidel in a
traditional Hanukkah game.
And there are presents for the children, Horowitz said. “Children who live
in the home get something every night. We still give our children something
even though they are grown, but not every night. Some large families draw
names for gift giving but we haven’t done that so far,” she added.
Something new will be included in this year’s Hanukkah observance. The
Horowitz family plans to attend a program celebrating the 10th anniversary
of the founding of the Virginia Holocaust Museum on Dec. 8. The museum, now
at 2000 E. Cary St., is open daily to the public, with free admission and
parking..”
Alberta Lindsey, who recently retired after 42 years as a
newspaper reporter, is a Richmond freelance writer. She enjoys reading
mysteries, traveling and photography.
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A
new candle is lighted each night during the eight-day celebration, using the
ninth candle.