'Enjoy them while they're still shining'—Chanukah traditions in 2020
By Marley Comito
I am 17 years old, so Chanukah is my favorite Jewish holiday for obvious reasons. Who couldn’t love a holiday that gives you the perfect excuse to eat tons of fried foods? Each year I look forward to the shopping sprees, chocolate gelt, getting gifts for my loved ones, decorating our front door with Chanukah window gel clings from Target, and opening my own presents, of course. Ask any Jewish kid what their favorite holiday is, and I guarantee it’ll be Chanukah.
But aside from all of the shopping, decorating, and gift opening, my family has loads of Chanukah traditions that really make this holiday so special to me each year. We do everything from lighting our candles on reused menorahs that my siblings and I made in Sunday School ages ago to using my Nana’s one-of-a-kind potato pancake recipe for our homemade latkes. We even used to throw an annual party, the “Vodka & Latke Party” where people of all ages and religions would pile around our dining room table to watch my family light the menorah and sing Chanukah songs and we’d all play dreidel. One of my favorite traditions, though, happens on each of the eight nights directly after we light our menorah. My family and I grab hands, and we spin in a circle while doing a silly dance, loudly and proudly singing the Chanukah song ‘Maoz Tzur.’
Last year was a major Chanukah highlight for me. I was in the middle of my eight-week study abroad session at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, and though I was skeptical about missing my family’s special Chanukah traditions, it ended up being magical. There were mountains of jelly donuts in bakery windows and lit menorahs in each window we passed. It was a shock to see blue and white lights surrounding lampposts and restaurant signs, as I had grown up seeing red and green ones back home in the US. I remember feeling a strong sense of belonging—there’s nothing like Chanukah in Israel.
“Last year was a major Chanukah highlight for me. I remember feeling a strong sense of belonging—there’s nothing like Chanukah in Israel.”
This year, Chanukah has clearly been very different from any other. This December has been a time of uncertainty for many reasons; the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, my college applications being recently submitted, leaving me in an anxiety-provoking waiting game, but most of all, some unexpected news that my family and I received in late October that completely shocked us. My mother, a healthy 48-year-old woman, was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and after only a day of her diagnosis, she was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to begin immediate chemotherapy. Since this unexpected turn began, my mother has urged me to stay strong and I am trying to do everything I can to push through these next few months with strength and grace.
I have learned that even when everything in life is unfamiliar and scary, traditions have a way of making things feel normal again. My family’s annual Chanukah traditions have given me a sense of comfort and sanity in this year’s new world of uncertainty. This Chanukah in particular has taught me that the traditions I get excited about (like lighting our Aleph school menorahs or doing the dance that my family makes fun of yet loves) should be cherished and held on to since everything else right now is so unsure. So, even if for only 45 seconds when my family and I sing and spin to Maoz Tzur while laughing at each other, things really feel normal again, and I live for those moments right now.
“This Chanukah in particular has taught me that the traditions I get so excited about should be cherished and held on to.”
Chanukah has been a real saving grace for me this year because I know that each of our traditions is still the same. Even though my mom has leukemia, we can still light candles with her over FaceTime. Even though everyone’s presents were bought online and there were no shopping sprees, they still came on time to be wrapped and opened the same way. Even though we are living in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic, we can still drive up and down the streets and see our community’s menorahs shining their light through the darkness.
Traditions have made me feel less frightened in a scary world, even if it’s only for a moment. After all, Chanukah is only 8 days, and the candles always burn too quickly, which is just another reminder to enjoy them while they’re shining.
Happy Chanukah! To read more of Marley’s incredible, wise writing for us, click here. Learn more about her time in Israel with the Muss program and more!