Chapter Two Written by Hicksville Middle School, New York, USA Everyone's house glistens in the winter night, but Sophie's house stands bare. There are no Christmas decorations - no tree, no Santa, no nativity. Instead of a wreath on her door there is a menorah in the window. A bright light from the candles will glow in a single window after eight nights.
Sophie is Jewish. She does not celebrate Christmas. Later tonight she will say a prayer and receive a gift from her parents. While her brothers play with their dreidels, she helps her mother and grandmother prepare the meal. They make potato pancakes, blintzes, doughnuts, and noodle pudding. The kitchen is filled with the smells of Hanukah! At sundown her family will light the first candle to celebrate. They celebrate the miracle of the oil that the Maccabees found that lasted for eight nights.
Sophie is a Jewish girl who has felt all alone in her neighborhood. She is proud of her religion, but she wishes she were like the other kids. The other children wonder why Santa doesn't visit Sophie's house, even though she has been a good girl all year. Sophie feels embarrassed sharing her culture with them because she is a minority, and she thinks her friends will laugh at her.
Perhaps this year Sophie will gather up enough courage to share her religion with her Christian friends.
|
