{"id":8380,"date":"2023-12-13T16:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T16:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/?p=8380"},"modified":"2023-12-13T16:10:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T16:10:05","slug":"a-hellenist-left-standing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/a-hellenist-left-standing\/","title":{"rendered":"A Hellenist Left Standing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">It was the twenty-fifth of December,\r\nAnd when she closes her eyes she remembers,\r\nJust how it was.\r\n\r\nA Jewish girl from Queens,\r\nHad fulfilled her secret dreams,\r\nDecorating that bright, forbidden tree.\r\nA Jewish girl from Queens,\r\nHad fulfilled her secret dreams.\r\nShe helped hang tinsel merrily.\r\n\r\nHer boyfriend's family,\r\nWas friendly as could be.\r\nThey had fun watching her delight.\r\nHer boyfriend's family,\r\nWas friendly as could be.\r\nBy the fireplace they sang carols that night.\r\n\r\nThen they piled into the car.\r\nIt wasn't very far.\r\nGreetings called to those they'd pass.\r\nThen they piled into the car.\r\nIt wasn't very far.\r\nEach year the family went to Midnight Mass.\r\n\r\nBut there in a church pew,\r\nShe didn't know what to do,\r\nAs everyone else bent down to kneel.\r\nBut there in a church pew, \r\nShe didn't know what to do.\r\nIn those moments was her future sealed?\r\n\r\nAlone, trembling, she stood,\r\nStill uncertain if she should.\r\nWhat stopped her from kneeling in that place?\r\nAlone, trembling, she stood,\r\nStill uncertain if she should.\r\nThe word \"Jew\" was stamped on her face.\r\n\r\nThe twenty-fifth makes her remember,\r\nBecause it's Kislev - not December.\r\nShe almost fell, like Hellenists of old.\r\nThe twenty-fifth makes her remember,\r\nBecause it's Kislev - not December.\r\nOnce she, too, chose tinsel, not the gold.\r\n\r\nSo radiant - hidden away.\r\nA golden light, still pure today.\r\nFlashing bulbs can't come near its glow.\r\n\t\r\nSo radiant - hidden away.\r\nA golden light, still pure today.\r\nHer Jewish home shines with treasures she didn\u2019t know.\r\n\r\nFor now many years have passed.\r\nEach Chanukah spins by so fast.\r\nAnd as grandchildren light, my past becomes less real.\r\nFor now many years have passed.\r\nEach Chanukah spins by so fast.\r\nStanding by lights, I whisper thanks I didn't kneel.\r<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button tm-cta\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.torahmates.org\/sign-up.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Uncover the golden light of Judaism with a TorahMate &#8211; sign up today!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>By Bracha Goetz<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Bracha Goetz is the Harvard-educated author of 42 Jewish children\u2019s books and a memoir for adults about her journey to joy in Judaism.\u00a0 Her books can be found in Judaica stores, on Amazon, and on her website here: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.goetzbookshop.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.goetzbookshop.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It was the twenty-fifth of December, And when she closes her eyes she remembers, Just how it was. A Jewish girl from Queens, Had fulfilled her secret dreams, Decorating that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37,597,8,2],"tags":[687],"class_list":["post-8380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chanukah","category-jewish-stories","category-judaism-101","category-shabbat-and-holidays","tag-poetry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Hellenist Left Standing - Jewish Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The twenty-fifth makes her remember, Because it&#039;s Kislev - not December. 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