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.