Harmony & lights

I try to post more often, but have not for the past few weeks.  I  was really   feeling that there was so much aggression and violence in the world, I was looking for the right words. I knew that we needed more unity and more harmony in this world, and it is the Chag- holiday of Chanukah that brings the hope for this.

Chanukah was getting closer and closer and the words came.

I just peered at the Menorah and realized that in the simplicity and beauty of the Menorah  was an answer.

The Shamash is the leader, the starter of the fire, the encourager, and each night we build up and increase the light until we are a full harmonious glow.

Each flame is a light symbolizing that G-d lives in us all.

Each light symbolizes our strength , especially when we are united.

As Chabad says : “ We are the lamplighters”

We are to merge light and building , to help eradicate the darkness and bring harmony , clarity and peace, hope and joy to this tumultuous world.

It is within challenges that we grow.

The ground may be shaking , but the light is steady.

This concept of finding light and bringing light into a world that has lost its way brings me to our mother’s story. She wrote about their miraculous attempt to celebrate Chanukah during the Holocaust in the concentration camp. This is a published story that we make sure to share year after year and the message still resonates.

” A light in the Depth of Darkness”

By Jaffa Noemi Munk tzl

(  “ Morah Yaffa was a survivor of 4 concentration camps, a labor camp and the death march”)

The year is 1944. Beginning of the winter season.

We are in the third concentration camp since we have been driven out of our homes.

We are 1,800 girls in a concentration camp called Rochlitz in the district of Sudeten, Germany.

Rochlitz , compared to other camps is relatively not as bad. This is a labor camp.Here we work in the Ammunition factory, in three shifts, producing under heavy S.S.soldiers guard, small parts for German combat airplanes. Every single movement we make is observed by the S.S. Soldiers. We can not stop working. Occasionally a machine broke down and we enjoyed knowing that the load of supplies to the combat planes would be delayed.

December 1944. Somehow we figured out that the Holiday of Chanukah was approaching. We had a tremendous desire to celebrate Chanukah , the Holidays of miracles and freedom. But how can we celebrate Chanukah in these dark, cold days? How can we lift our morale? How can we strengthen our spiritual well being , or perhaps demonstrate to our captors that in spite of it all, they can not completely destroy us ? To show them that we are still human. Perhaps revolt against all odds.

Among us were two older girls who were chosen to work in the kitchen; Raizel and Maryam. Raizel and Maryam came from very religious families. They volunteered to help celebrate Chanukah. But how could they possibly help? To make some latkes ? Maybe that would bring us warmth , remind us of Chanukah. The question was, from what can they make latkes ? Everything in the kitchen was rationed.

One evening Raizel, who worked long hours in the kitchen , returned to our barrack with a special smile on her face. As she entered the barrack, she took out four potatoes from inside her shirt, and in a very soft voice , she told us :

“ Girls, from these four potatoes that I brought, we will make a beautiful Menorah.”

”Menorah “, we repeated. “How can you make a menorah from four potatoes ?”

“Have patience”, said Raizel. “With the help of Hashem tomorrow you shall see .”

The next day we could hardly wait for Raizel return from the kitchen. This time Raizel brought with her a knife. As we all looked at her she cut the four potatoes, each one of them in half. She carved out the middle, and lined them on the window sill.

”You see,” said Raizel triumphantly, “I made a Menorah. “

After a minute , looking at her new creation, her Menorah, Raizel said : “Now we need another potato to make a Shamash.”

Raizel brought back from the kitchen another half of a potato. She carved the middle out , placed it higher than the rest, and announced: “ Girls look our Menorah has a Shamash !”

The excitement was great. “ We will be able to celebrate Chanukah in spite of all. But what can we do ? We have no oil and no candles?” Maryam the other girl, who also worked in the kitchen didn’t say a thing. She just smiled.

The next day after eight  hours of hard labor, we returned from the factory hungry and tired. As we finished our meager portion of bread, we returned to our cramped barracks followed by Maryam. Maryam gathered all of us around her in the dark barrack and said in Yiddish :

”Meine  Swestern, ich  hab a kline fleshele  eyel!”

” Girls, my sisters, I have a small bottle of oil!”

At this point we were so happy, emotional, and excited that you could hear our hearts beating . The discussion began..

Now we have  a Menorah with a Shamash, we have oil, but we don’t have any wicks. As the girls were busy discussing the problem of the wicks, I , the youngest  inmate, sat in the corner of my bunk bed tearing a piece of my dress trying to make wicks. Lighting the menorah was more important than losing a few inches off my prison dress.

As I finished making the nine wicks, I jumped up excitedly : “ Girls we have wicks and in a minute we will have a match too .” I did not waste any time. I walked out of our barracks to the courtyard, and with a sad face approached one of our “Wehrmacht” guards saying ; “Dear guard you know that we don’t ask you any favors , Please just this time, could you give me a box of matches?”

The old guard looked at me with bewilderment. “ A box of matches? Are you crazy? What can you do with a box of matches?” then he threw down a box of matches with indifference.

As I walked back to the barracks with the matches in my hand, the girls could not believe it. they could not comprehend my courage saying: “ You approached a Guard, You got a box of matches!” Now we had a potato Menorah, a little bottle of oil, nine wicks, and a box of matches.

With our hands trembling , we lit our Menorah, and with tears of joy, we sang the three Berachot. Chokingly , we sang Maoist Tsur. There no latkes to eat. there was no dreidel to play with, but there was a special joy. Our morale was elevated, our spirits uplifted.

There was Light in the depth of Darkness. The room of our crowded barracks was filled with emotions of joy,spirituality, hope and gratitude.

Every  evening there was a changing of the guards. The new Guard noticed some light in our barrack. He ran to our door, knocked loudly and shouted :

”Hey you Jewish devils, where do you think you are, in a resort place or in a Synagogue? You dare to light candles ! Out with the light ? You are all punished. For four hours you shall remain on your knees, in order that you will remember where you are.”

We kneeled on the frozen ground in the bitter cold, but our hearts were filled with the light of the Menorah, the light that lifted our spirit in the depth of the darkest days of our Jewish History.

We felt, we prevailed.

Not one  of us regretted lighting our “Menorah”.

Not one of us was destroyed by the punishment. We felt great. We managed to light a Menorah in the depth of  Darkness.

The potato Menorah that burned for only a few moments gave us warmth, strength, and courage for many weeks to come.

Published Chanukah 5757/ December 1996

Wishing everyone  blessings, miracles and great light