Friday
Jan072011
Only In America
January 7, 2011 * * * * * Posted by: guest blogger 
In the middle of SEARS sits Santa Claus with all manner of colorful wrapped gifts and angel hair surrounding his throne. The children are lined up all the way to the back of the store waiting for the chance to tell him their hearts’ desire. The little girl with the long black braids is almost at the head of the line. She’s been waiting a long time. She’s wearing riding jodhpurs and cowboy boots even though she hasn’t got a pony. Her shirt is a striped polo turtleneck like a Ralph Lauren (which hasn’t been invented yet).
Finally, Santa looks at her! He lifts her onto his lap and says
“Ho ho ho and what would you like for Christmas, little girl?”
“I don’t believe in Christmas,” she replies .
“Well, what DO you believe in?”
“ I believe in Chanukah”
Santa chuckles, “Oy, a gezuntd aff dein keppelah!” (Yiddish for “A blessing on your head”)
That was my father’s favorite story. It holds special significance for me because I was the only Jewish child in my school in Princeton WV. When I was only five, Zaidie and Daddy told me I had to be a very good little girl because whatever I did would reflect on the entire Jewish community. So, I have been an ambassador of the Jewish People since I was in kindergarten. I was asked every year to explain the Jewish holidays to my classmates and I got so good at it that I became a storyteller when I grew up! And that’s how I happened to be invited to the White House last month for the White House Chanukah Reception.
There were about 500 people standing together in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, the second night of Hanukkah. Jewish people from all over the United States attended the White House Hanukkah Reception hosted by President and Mrs. Obama. Nearby on my right was Itzak Perlman and his family chatting with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As President Obama noted, one third of the Supreme Court was in attendance! Justices Stephen Breyer and Elana Kagen stood to my left. Jewish leaders, clergy, military/government leaders and artists were honored to be invited to this momentous evening.
The menorah shone with a stark brilliance. It was on loan from New Orleans’ Temple Beth Israel. It had been rescued from under a great deal of muck, dirt, and mold. The entire synagogue had been destroyed and buried in over 8 feet of water from Hurricane Katrina. But the menorah had been restored on this second night of Chanukah and it was lit with special significance by Susan Retik and her family.
I felt a special thrill when all of us sang the prayers together in one voice. People from every corner of the USA and from every denomination of Jewish religious observance sang as if we’d been in the same congregation for our entire lives. It was stirring to be in that room. I couldn’t help but recall my early beginnings in Princeton WV. My grandparents were immigrants to the USA and could never have dreamed that one day their granddaughter would be invited to the White House to celebrate a Jewish holiday!
How I wish I could let them know of this event that could happen ONLY IN AMERICA.
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Special guest post today by Bonnie Greenberg - a storyteller and photographer whose work can be found over at the Pixelplay. Thank you for joining us here today, B0nnie, and for sharing with us your wonderful story.
Reader Comments (16)
What a great contribution from her...
You are indeed a storyteller - I didn't want your story to end! I wanted to hear every last detail and then some. What a thrill that must have been. Thank you for joining us here today!
Thanks for sharing this and welcome!
I really enjoyed the read. Must have been such a thrill being there!
What an incredible experience it must have been...a real thrill to both be at the White House in person..and for such a significant event. WOW! And yes - you've definitely come a long ways from your WV childhood home!!!
Thanks for being here today with us Bonnie!!!
Unbelievable, Bonnie, especially since I had no clue the event happened at all in the White House last month (sometimes I feel so "out of it" here in another country!). This is one of those times I must say I am proud to be an American! Thank you for being our guest today and for sharing your significant experience and heritage in this way. Shalom!
Tx for sharing... I appreciate this country for the way it makes the effort to recognize and celebrate all the differences of the people in most of what it does... Channukah is one of my favorite holidays (next to Purim)...
Thanks for sharing your story, and for the reminder that America -- at its best -- really can be a shining example of peaceful coexistence.
Welcome to Vision and Verb and, as the others have said, thank you for sharing your story.
While it was indeed an honor to be at the White House for such an important event, the part of your story that touched me was when you wrote "Daddy told me I had to be a very good little girl because whatever I did would reflect on the entire Jewish community." Wow. What a huge responsibility for a kindergarten student.
It appears you have met, and perhaps exceeded, your father's expectations!
Bonnie, you are a wonderful story teller and what a story you had to tell! I'm glad that you shared it here today.
Bonnie, what an honor for you. I wish we would have known. Indeed, a responsibility for a small child - and you have fulfilled their wish. There is no doubt that your grandparents know of your invitation and visit to the White House, and they are so proud that they came to America. What you have become is their dream. We in America are so grateful to them for coming here, and we are so lucky to have you here.
What a wonderful post, thank you for sharing this with us.
What a wonderful story. I love the photo. How telling that there are so many digital photography tools in those hands! You are so right, only in America! Welcome to Vision and Verb!
got goosebumps reading your penultimate paragraph....what a wonderful thing to happen. wonderful story :)
That indeed is a huge responsibility for a little child - and you definitely fulfilled it. Thank you for sharing your story and showing the side of America I truly love.
What a wonderful, heartwarming story. The kind we need to hear just now. Thank you, for your wonderful storytelling.
A beautiful and heartwarming story. Nice to see you here at V&V :-)