Chanukah 2010 - Part Two

Sorry for the bombardment - when it rains, it pours, which is exactly what we are praying for here in Israel!

As I mentioned last night, the Chanukah candles (really oil) are placed outside to publicize the miracle. Last year I bought my own little glass box to house the lights and protect them from the wind. I have a ledge outside my living room window, so I can place the box there and the lights are visible to all passing by. The nice part is that I can also enjoy them from inside, as I am doing while I type this.

Saul has two little glass houses that attach to the wall outside their front door. They now live on a main path through the Jewish Quarter, so people gather every night in front of their lights. The one night I was there while they lit, I had trouble leaving their apt because there was a group of little girls on their steps being photographed with the Chanukah candles. After Saul lights outside, the family stays around while he sings, which also draws a nice crowd.
It is customary for each member of the family to light their own, and being a male, Akiva also lights his outside. The wife is the only one who does not light her own, as she is part of the couple represented by the man. Not to worry my feminist friends, Shifra has plenty to do on her own without needing to take on the male's obligations also! Because I am single, I have the same obligation as Saul to light my own as quickly after sunset as possible.
Because it generally draws a crowd, the girls and ladies light their menorahs from inside the house in a place where the candles can be seen from outside. Ariella and Meira both have their own chanukiahs (what holds the Chanukah candles). The kids really get excited when it is time to light.
Because it is vacation time for the whole country, there are lots of activities in the city for the kids. One day I picked Akiva up at noon and took him across town to a magic show. It was brutal getting out of the Old City with the traffic - we walked over a mile before we found a taxi. But we got there in time, and Akiva was thrilled with the show. With no exposure to movies, TV and amusement parks, he is not jaded or cynical - and really enjoyed what I otherwise thought was a pretty slow paced performance. It's wonderful to be able to see things through innocent eyes again!
Josh sent presents for everyone - all nicely wrapped and labeled. For each kid, he sent two of these squishy animals that splat and stick when thrown at the wall or window. You can imagine these were a big hit with all of them. Meira quickly discovered that hers didn't hold up well when bitten!
Saul was so happy that Josh sent him some wine paraphernalia. He had just been complaining that he doesn't get toys any more.
Orthodox women do not perform in front of men. (Again, hold on, my feminist friends. It is a big topic, but among other things, this practice discourages been seen as a sexual object). So what do women do who have talents in the performance arts? They direct and perform in their own shows with a completely female audience! Shifra's mother used to write and direct one such show here every year. A couple nights ago, Shifra and I attended a spectacular show written for and about 5 women who became religious as young adults and the humorous and touching moments they experienced along the way. They sang, they danced and they touched every heart in the audience of 500! The woman with Shifra below is Batya Taylor, a good friend of the Green's - and a fantastic dancer and "stop your breath" singer.
Today we had a ladie's trip to Ikea - myself, Shifra and my friend, Linda. Linda had rented a car for the week to take her grandchildren places, and very generously shared one day with us. I have never been to an Ikea before, so this was a big treat for me. The sheer volume of merchandise is mind boggling - even more impressive is the wonderful way they organize everything, so you follow the footprints that snake through this massive store and are insured of not missing anything. They even have complete apartments set up listing the square meters, so you can envision how this would work in your tiny space! Now for all you veterans in the States, we have something very special - a completely kosher food court! I had a lunch break of sushi. That's my kind of shopping!
I bought a few kitchen utensils and a bookcase. You do all your viewing on one floor and write down what you want, and then go downstairs into a large warehouse-like area to locate and purchase the actual items. All furniture comes in boxes to be assembled in the comfort? of your own home. They do not allow photos in the store, which is too bad - I kept noticing great missed opportunities. The organization of the space is just too creative and clever. So I quickly took this shot after we checked out.
This was the last night of Chanukah, and as I am writing this, the oil in burning down for the last time this year. I am praying that the glow from the flames will stay with us throughout the year. And I am hoping that everyone can use the energy from this season to connect, to grow and to make this a better world.

Rina

Chanukah 2010 - Part One

Yea - it's Chanukah, our festival of lights celebrating the miracle of one day's oil lasting for eight days. It happened after a small group of yeshiva guys beat the Greeks who were intent on secularizing Judaism. The Jews reclaimed the Temple which had been defiled - but they could only find one small pure vial of oil for the menorah. It would take 8 days to make more, and that one little vial miraculously lasted until there was a new supply. Today we publicize the miracle by lighting candles outside - in public view at night when the light can be clearly seen. We light one for each night, so by the last day, all the branches are lit, and it is truly a beautiful sight.

My good friend Corinne, formerly from Hollywood Fl and now from N. Hollywood Ca, came to visit her daughter Miriam and her grandchildren who live in Beitar. I am honored that she came into Jerusalem for one day, which we could spend together. Of course, that meant a trip to the Kotel, where it is always easy to get someone else to snap a photo.


Corinne is also a social worker, and her colleagues from the clinic ask her to bring back souveniers from the Holyland - that creates the opportunity for us to venture into the Christian Quarter to shop. Here is Corinne finding Armenian ceramics to take back with her.Each year, I host the kids for one night of Chanukah - making latkes and playing dreidle. This year I found dreidles that lit up and played music, very annoying music! Which, of course, the kids loved.
Presents are not a traditional part of Chanukah - children used to receive coins, which is why you see the chocolate coins at this time of year. However, Saul allows me to continue our family tradition of giving gifts. Akiva is really into PlayMobile, which Saul helped him assemble. We both looked at all the stickers and said, "Where's Josh?" ( Josh was the meticulous one who would help impatient Saul attach his stickers.)
When Ariella opened this, she actually shouted, "Just what I always wanted"! I am enjoying the fact that it is so easy to please them now.
I also bought the girls wooden toy high chairs just like the big one I brought them from America. I didn't realize that each one had about 30 screws and I do not have a power driver here, so Shifra and I each tried to assemble a chair manually.
This was extremely tedious, and only one screw driver was really the right size - and soon the girls got bored and started playing with the parts and the screws, threatening to lose pieces. Shifra suggested I call my neighbor, Yaakov - an engineer from Moldova who works as a handyman here. He came instantly and made two little girls very happy!
The Berkus girls!
Meira put her dolly in the high chair, settled herself down, and got to the serious business of feeding.
I kept this carpet in storage for three years while I was in the other apt because there was no room. Now my living room is so large that the carpet seems too small! But it does add some warmth to the room.

When the world gives you lemons, forget about the lemonade - just eat them straight!
Shifra (and Saul, but Shifra had the idea and did the shlepping) gave me gift certificates to my favorite charedi ice cream shop in Geula, Zislicks. They don't actually have gift certificates, so they made something up and gave her the owner's phone number in case there is ever a problem. Of course, I went the next day to make sure they worked - and another customer came to ask me how I got the certificates, wanting some herself. We may have started something here. (I recommend the Snickers flavor).

There is more that I will save for another day. It has been a very happy and busy holiday with lots of visiting with friends and family. Until today, the weather has been unusually warm, so it was great to be outside. Now we finally have some of the rain that we have been praying for, and the cold that accompanies it.

Happy Holidays,
Rina