Hello 2010! I hope you all enjoyed your December and had your fill of latkes, dreidels and family time. Kreine’s last post talked about how grateful she was for her Village. Well let me tell you, being a part of Kreine’s Village during Hanukkah this year was extremely fulfilling. I have so many fabulous memories. From celebrating with the Jewish Woman’s Group with a Latkes and Latte night to frying up sufganyot with the Hebrew School, I am truly thankful.
This Hanukkah also provided some unexpected, but treasured moments. The first started when my 7 year old daughter asked for an American Girl doll for Hanukkah. If you know anything about American Girl dolls, you know that these dolls are expensive. Seriously friends, how can a doll cost $100? Let’s not even mention the matching accessories! For the last few years I have had no problem brushing aside any American Girl talk.
This year however, my daughter asked for the new American Girl doll named Rebecca…and she’s Jewish. Wait, stop the presses! She’s Jewish? Okay, that peaked my interest. According to the American Girl website, Rebecca Rubin is “a girl growing up in New York City in 1914. Rebecca celebrates treasured traditions passed down through her Russian-Jewish family.” Rebecca’s story parallels my own family’s history. All of a sudden, a $100 doll seemed reasonable (well to me at least!). And yes, my daughter is now the proud owner of a Rebecca doll. As it turns out, Rebecca has become my own unexpected treasure. As I read the Rebecca book series with my daughter it has provided countless opportunities to talk with her about how her own Great-Great Grandmother emigrated from Russia. My father has even been kind enough to email my daughter with family stories from the same time period. The interweaving of our family’s rich history with Rebecca’s story helps bring Rebecca to life. You should have seen the look in my daughter’s eyes when I gave her a doily that her Great-Great Grandmother made…just like the doilies Rebecca makes and sells in her own story!
The next unexpected moment bring laughter to my heart. During the Chabad of Laguna Niguel’s wonderful Menorah lighting ceremony, candles were passed to each individual. When I refused to give one to my 2 ½ year old son he broke down into tears. A candle I would let him hold…a lit candle, no way. I reached for something in my pocket to distract him and found a Wall-E Pez dispenser. As we all held our lit candles in prayer, my son proudly waved his Pez dispenser in prayer. How could I not laugh? By the way, this is also the son who changed the words of “Oh Hanukkah” to include:
“…gather round’ the table we’ll give you a treat…dreidels to play with and latkes to eat. And Kreine gives me Otter Pops, and Kreine gives me Otter Pops!”
Once again, thank you friends for allowing me to share my stories. I invite you to share your own stories with our community. Please feel free to leave a comment if you would like a post of your own. I would love to give you the floor!