Have Faith

Chapter 3: My Revelation

Life at Claire's house was much different than any life I'd ever known before. They treated me like a daughter and I loved them. It was the best life I had ever had.

December was rolling around, and I was grateful I had been taken in before it got too cold. My first holiday with my new family was coming up, and I didn't know what to expect. I did notice a nativity scene up, so I knew they were Christian. That was bound to be a little awkward, but I wasn't worried. Religion wasn't high on my list of worries at the moment.  There was a man named Hitler on the news. It seemed like he was trying to get in charge of Germany, and it was rumored that he didn't like Jews too much...

But I didn't worry about that too much either. After all, how much harm could one man do?

As November drew to a close, I started to actually worry about my religion verses theirs. I had never mentioned my religion before, so they probably assumed I was the same as them. I knew I would have to tell them, with Hanukkah only days away. This year, 1928, it started on December 8th. I knew I had to tell them now. I decided to bring it up at dinner.

As it turned out, I didn't need to.

"So, it's almost December. We'll have to start getting out the Christmas decorations. Claire, are you excited for Christmas this year?" Asked Dad that dinner.

"Absolutely!" squealed Claire, practically jumping up and down.

Dad laughed and turned to me. "How about you, Kayla?"

I felt my heart hammering in my chest. I started to sweat. I had no idea how to tell him.

"Well, actually ... Dad, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Dad asked, curiously. He could tell from my tone that it was important.

"Um ... I'm not ... Christian," I stuttered. "I'm Jewish."

The table was silent for a moment. Dad was deep in thought.  I felt like my heart was going to stop, it was beating so fast.  "Oh," he finally said. Then his face got brighter again. "Well, why didn't you say so? We can have two celebrations this year! It will give us all a chance to learn something new about another religion! So, when does Hanukkah start this year?"

"December 8th," I said automatically.

"Great! So do I need to get you a present for that day?"

"Actually," I admitted, "gift-giving isn't a traditional part of Hanukkah. It's an American tradition. But in the orphanage, we did give each other gifts. One small gift each day, starting with the first day. Also, the menorah is lit, for half an hour each night, and every day you light another candle, until the last day, when all eight candles are lit. That's just the basics, but I won't go into all that now." I blushed, knowing I was already sounding like a textbook.

"Well we would love to hear it all later. I have so many questions. But how did we not know this before? I mean, we all went to church every Sunday! Although," he amends thoughtfully. "I don't recall ever seeing you in the church when we all sat down. Where did you go?"

"I went to the synagogue as soon as you two went in," I admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"That's just silly!" exclaimed Dad. "Why didn't you just tell us? We could have just gone without you and saved you all that walking! We live right next door to a synagogue!"

"I didn't want things to be awkward, with the family having two religions. I'd never thought of it as a learning experience," I said, blushing.

"Well, now that we know, things will definitely be interesting around here!" Dad smiled. Nothing could be truer.

* * *

On December 8th, I definitely didn't expect anything special. Dad and Claire had gone to the store to get my present. I had explained everything to him about how they were all supposed to be small gifts, but he didn't seem to get it, as I saw him hauling in a gift that was at least two feet tall and very long. I protested, but they wouldn't budge.

"Dad, it's too much!"

"No, Kayla, it's fine," he argued back. "You are my daughter, and I will spoil you, so get used to it!" He smiled and I laughed. Just then, Claire came in behind him carrying a small, simple Menorah.

"It's perfect!" I exclaimed, loving the simple design. "How did you know I needed a new one?"

"Well, we'd never seen one, so either you didn't have one, or there's a secret compartment in this house that we don't know about," Dad laughed. "There isn't, is there?"

I cracked up. He really knew how to make me laugh.

"So, this menorah has nine candles, but I seem to remember you only telling us that there were eight days of Hanukkah. So unless there is a ninth day you didn't tell us about, I'm confused."

"Dad, there are not nine days of Hanukkah! The ninth candle is for lighting the other candles!" I laughed again, for what felt like the tenth time tonight. I loved this family.

So, I started explaining all about Hanukkah - the traditional food, the games, the prayers, and the story.

"Hanukkah started a long time ago, before Christians were around, when the Jewish church was taken over by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to Zeus. The Jewish ways were banned, and punishable by death," I explained. "The Jewish people started resisting. To punish them, the Greeks told them to bow down to an idol and eat foods that were forbidden by God. It was a horrible time. But getting on to Hanukkah," I realized I was going on and on. "There was a Temple that the Jews returned to once they defeated the Greeks who inhabited it, and to purify it, they needed to light a menorah with holy oil for eight days. Unfortunately, they only had enough holy oil for one day. They decided to light it anyway, and it stayed lit for eight full days. They celebrated the wonderful miracle that God had given them. That is why we celebrate Hanukkah.  Although, Hanukkah isn't the most important holiday for us," I added.

"That's very interesting," said Dad.  "Let us know when the other holidays come up."

"Okay," I said. 

"So if you were raised in an orphanage, why are you Jewish?" Dad asked.

"In the orphanage, we were told the story by the older girls," I answered.  "There were some Christian children as well, but they were too young to explain it to us. I was there at birth, and when I was old enough to understand the other girls, they told me the story and celebrated all the holidays with me. That's why I know so much about the history of Hanukkah. There were little bits and pieces that certain girls knew, and I pieced together the rest. I don't know what religion my parents were, but I am Jewish."

* * * 

That night, I lay awake, thinking about how much my family cared. I knew I had made the right choice in staying with them.