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#happy hanukkah to mee
stantler · 1 year
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Eye surgery today happy Hanukkah to MEE
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I love buying food toys I love having tiny zoo animals that live in my home
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imhereforbvcky · 5 years
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*listening to Hanukkah playlist*
Husband: This sounds like a Christmas song to me.
Me: It's in Hebrew.
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japanas-peaches · 6 years
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Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, etc. Source: MEE I got lots of Japanese candy for Christmas 😍😍
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stenbrough · 6 years
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stenbroughs first fight hc because i️ love torturing myself
( @spicyymoon–lovve you requested Stan teaching Bill about Hanukkah and I included that here. Sorry, this took forever, I spent too many hours on research!To anyone of Jewish faith reading this HC, I apologize for any possible inaccuracies. Although my religion is another, Stan has inspired me to understand more about yours lately. I wrote this with tons of admiration for the meaning of your holiday. )
- Do you mind telling me why you ripped the invitation to Mrs. Hanscom’s Christmas Party to shreds? – Stan halted his ritual, waiting for an answer. Usually, they did not talk while Stan was tidying up the desks in Bill’s bedroom. Bill would read a few pages from any book during those minutes, having accepted long ago that there was no use in telling Stan he did not need to do that.- I’m not g-g-going to that. – Sitting on his bed, Bill barely took his eyes off the page in front of him.- Ok, that is another problem for my list, but before I get to that, this one was mine! – Stan looked over his shoulder, showing the fragment of paper that had “Stanley” partially written on it with one hand, and Bill’s intact invitation with the other.- Oh, I didn’t re-realize. – Bill was telling the truth, using the same flat tone as before. He closed the book after marking the page and placed it on the pillow to his right.  – Well, you hah-have the Feast of Dedication; you would be buh-b-busy anyway.- That’s not on the same day, Bill. I already told Ben I would be there!- Have fun, then. It’s not like they a-a-aren’t going t-t-o let you in just because you lost the in-invitation, Stan!- Except I didn’t lose it! - Stan let go of the invitation and turned around, looking puzzled by Bill’s attitude. - What’s gotten into you? I left my invitation here so no one at my house would find it. I was going to this dinner for you!- I’m not r-r-ready to do this ah-again, okay, Stan? Last year was our fuh-first Ch-Christmas without G-Georgie in this house, my parents did ev-everything they always do, s-saying it was in honor of my b-brother, except every mee-minute of it felt awful and I’m pretty s-s-s-sure at the end of the day that was not what he w-would have wanted!- This year you will spend it with your friends! You can’t say he wouldn’t have wanted that…- Okay, Stan, but what if I’m t-there and s-s-some little thing suddenly t-tears me ap-apart, and it’s so loud and obvious, that I r-r-ruin everyone’s happiness? It’s t-two weeks away! We can tell Ben we are not going anymore. I bet you would regret ha-having g-gone there just to keep me company and t-then we’d fight!- Well, Thank God you don’t consider us to be fighting right now!The world around Bill slowed down once Stan said that. They stared at each other for a few seconds, breathed in and out until their hearts stopped racing. Calmly, Bill got out of bed and walked to Stan, kissing him as soon as he was close enough for that. Bill made the kiss last until he no longer felt the least bit of tension coming from Stan.- You thought we w-were fa-fighting? – Bill whispered, after breaking the kiss gently to look into Stan’s eyes.- I did. I also thought that would never happen. I thought we didn’t do that. – Stan giggled softly and shortly, kissing Bill’s forehead, feeling so relieved to know that was not the case.- We don’t! That’s the point. – Bill stated in an undertone.Stan glanced down, taking both of Bill’s hands and intertwining their fingers. - Bill, I would never have a problem with taking care of you no matter the circumstance. Even if we change plans, and you hang around my house for 8 nights and 8 days, asking eight questions every eight minutes.- So I can go? – Bill smiled and his eyes were sparkling now. – Sorry, I almost forgot that starts in two days. I promise I’ll get the hang of your calendar by next year!- You must go. Now I see that it will light up your way so you can outlast your grief.- Tell me what you mean and then I’ll repeat that to all your relatives and they’ll be so impressed with how smart your best friend is. – Bill murmured enthusiastically, then closed his eyes and poked Stan’s cheek with the tip of his nose.- Hmm… I was going to tell you about the dreidels, the temple, and the oil but you are being really distracting at the moment. – Stan whispered, and instead of apologizing, Bill kissed him again. – So let’s just say you need to rededicate yourself. - Stan had to close his eyes too, yet he managed to add that. - No, tell me! – Bill let go of Stan unexpectedly, took a few steps back and sat on the edge of his bed. The distance was not what Stan wanted and he wished he could take his comment back, but still, Bill’s genuine interest was endearing. Stan organized his thoughts, sat down on the chair in front of the larger desk and explained all he could remember about the Maccabees, the menorah, and the miracle. After that, he got up to go and sit beside Bill on the bed and whispered. – You are brave, Bill. All you did while trying to find Georgie was out of resilience and some sort of faith as well. From now on, rededicate your mind to remembering your brother with joy… That’s what I do!Bill, who didn’t deny that could also just be because he was stubborn; smiled, hopeful and comforted now. Stan’s analogy made perfect sense, obviously. – I see why Georgie liked you m-more t-t-than he liked me… Stan laughed softly. – No, he didn’t. He was probably just mad at you for how long it took you to realize you like me as much as I like you.
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azariaspace · 6 years
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24-Hour Theatre Thoughts (expanded from Twitter)
1.  I love writing and directing so, so much.  I love acting -- boy do I love acting -- but directing is super cool?  And I know I love writing.  If I ever do 24HT again, I want to do both again.  And if I can’t do both, I want to do one of them.  I’d hate the pressure of memorizing so many lines in such little time.  But also I’d hate to direct my own play.  I’m so glad I had such a diverse experience in what I got to participate in -- I wrote a drama about grief and overcoming it and I directed a play that was a dad-dislikes-but-secretly-loves-son-in-law Christmas special of a sitcom.
2.  A bunch of people told me that they loved my script.  Like, so many.  A couple of people also made sure to tell me to keep writing, and that was really dope.  (They also said to keep playing around with this idea in particular, because it could be expanded into something larger than 10-20 minutes or so?)  And finally, one person told me that I made her cry.  So like.  That’s a huge honor.  I don’t know what to do with it?  I had the coolest director and the best actors and I was so blessed.
2.5 (since it’s about my script).  I wrote my grief from last week out of my system. I’m good.  I really think I’m okay now, about everything.
3.  Directing is dope.  I had such fun with it, but also I was really tired of it by the end.  I couldn’t bring myself to focus.  I don’t think that’s a directing problem as much as an I-am-overworked problem, but still.  Something to note.  That script was really cool and the actors were really fun.
4.  I loved the plays that I just got to watch.
Below the cut is the full text of the play I wrote.  I appropriated culture a little bit and definitely didn’t do as much research as I should’ve, but I wrote it in six hours and did my best to be respectful most of the time.
Light By [me] (in like 10 hours or less)
Writer’s Notes:   The whole play: If you can figure out another way to “light the menorah” without using the spotlight, be my guest.  I’m just operating under the assumption that we can’t use real matches and candles in the [space where we produced it]. Scene One: It’s important to me that “khah-mee-moot” (emphasis on the last syllable) (and all the Hebrew, really) stays in the script. Hunt me down and ask me how to pronounce it if you need to. [I’m not an expert, but I know some from exposure and spent a lot of time researching.] When Eden enters for the first time and I say “eventually showing some kind of affection”, I’m envision something like putting her hand on Rachel’s shoulder, but I don’t know if that’ll look natural. But that sort of vibe. Scene Two: When Rachel says “Alav Ha-sholom”, she needs to say that SUPER bitterly. It means “may he rest in peace”, but she’s talking about him having an affair. She says it because she has to, not because she wants to. [Fun fact:  they chose some other part of the line for the bitterness and it worked just as well.]
CAST LIST: -RACHEL:  a widow in her 50s, has lost two children, Eden’s mother -EDEN:  a young woman in her 20s, has lost two brothers and her father, Rachel’s daughter (If you need at least one guy, use Yosef for Rachel and David for Eden. I did my research on names from the 60s and 80s. But then you can’t just change Rachel’s husband to a woman, because that messes with the Hebrew, so it’d become a gay play if Rachel becomes Yosef.  FYI.)
PROPS LIST: -a table -a menorah, if one is available (if not, and we have eight (fake and/or real) candles, those) [the menorah was available] -a chair [they used two and it worked] -envelopes and pieces of paper (about five of each) [they also had a pencil] -a sketchbook or something else that looks like a photo album -if y’all want to get something like a matchbox and/or matches that’s chill but I’ve written it as if the actors are miming that so… that’s a thing [they used one in rehearsal but not in tech or the real show -- there, they had a candle in the center but not in any of the holders for the eight nights, and they just used that one]
TWELVE LIGHTING CUES (NO SOUND) — but they’re all IMPORTANT.
SCENE ONE.
[An empty stage featuring a table and two chairs a few feet upstage from the spotlight x. Either the menorah or the candles rest upon it.] [Enter RACHEL from stage left. She approaches the table and stands behind it.][Upstage lights up.] RACHEL [looks up in the direction of the audience] I remember when Hanukkah used to be such a big production. Our house would be full of laughter, singing, and dancing. It was bustling and alive. We were the envy of every family throughout all of Israel. People walking through the streets — Jews and goyim alike — would stop and stare into our windows, marveling at the crafts our children would make and display, the countless delicious foods we would have, and the khah-mee-moot — the warmth — that radiated from our home. [looks down and gestures at the table] But all that died with my husband and sons. Now, it’s just me, a silly old woman, and my daughter. No fuss. No hullabaloo. [Enter EDEN from stage right. She approaches RACHEL cautiously and slowly, eventually showing some kind of affection.] EDEN Eema? Mom? Are you talking to yourself again? RACHEL I… I guess I just got lost in my thoughts. EDEN Well, it’s time to return home. It’s nightfall. It’s time to light the menorah. RACHEL So it is, EDEN. So it is. Would you like to say the blessing? EDEN But, Mom, you always say the blessing. RACHEL … Not always, EDEN. Just in recent times. Traditions change. EDEN Eema, that’s not fair. Don’t do this to me. RACHEL What if we just… didn’t light the Menorah this year? Or you did it by yourself? You still clearly get value out of it. I don’t. [RACHEL moves to exit.] EDEN Eema! [RACHEL exits from stage left; EDEN moves in front of the table and leans on it.] EDEN I don’t understand my mom. She’s named after one of the most cunning and skillfully active women in the Torah, Rachel. She used to be like that. And it’s natural that, for a while, grief would make her pause. But it’s like she died, too. [She pauses and looks behind her at the menorah, still unlit. She walks around the table and moves as if to pick up a matchbox and strike a match, then lights the first candle (the one furthest stage right). When the mimed match would hit the candle…] [Spotlight up. We’re pretending the menorah is lit.] I’m not about to let myself be taken under with her. I’m not about to let our family’s traditions die. [Upstage lights down first, then three seconds later, spotlight off. EDEN exits from stage left.]
SCENE TWO. [Upstage lights up.] [EDEN comes on from stage left, bringing a the letters, envelopes, and pencil with her. She spreads the papers and envelopes out on the table, and sits down in the stage left chair. She mimes writing something on one of the sheets.] EDEN Dear… Mrs… Merav… Ackerman… [RACHEL enters from stage left.] EDEN I would like… to invite you… to celebrate… with us… RACHEL What are you doing, EDEN? It’s almost time for dinner. EDEN I’m inviting Mrs. Ackerman to come to our house to celebrate the remainder of Hanukkah with us. She’s number thirteen on my list. RACHEL Of how many? EDEN Fifty. RACHEL You’re inviting fifty people to celebrate Hanukkah with us? EDEN So far. I may think of more. RACHEL What are you doing? You are to honor your mother. It is a midrash — a command! This- [RACHEL grabs the letter EDEN is writing off the table. EDEN reacts in some capacity.] —  what you are doing now — [RACHEL tears the letter into pieces. EDEN reacts in some stronger capacity.] — is not honoring your mother's grief.  Besides, I hate that woman. EDEN Then why did you always invite her to our Hanukkah parties? RACHEL She and your father, Alav Ha-sholom, simply loved to create a hullabaloo of their own. EDEN Are you implying what I think you’re implying? RACHEL May Adonai strike me down if it’s not true. EDEN Don’t say such things! Don’t tempt Him! RACHEL I’m not tempting Him if I’m asking Him to do what’s true. EDEN You just don’t want people over here, and you’re just scapegoating Mrs. Ackerman. You can’t stand the thought of happiness filling this house anymore. How dare you tarnish abba’s reputation in that way? How dare you use him for your purposes? You’ve been so trapped in your grief and your need to be isolated that you haven’t once asked me what I need! What do you think I need? Do you think that living in a lonely, empty dark house with a lonely, empty shell of a mother is how I wanted to spend my twenties? When I go to the store, I worry about you. When I go to the temple, people ask about you — and never about me! I can’t go anywhere without living in the shadow you’ve cast around both of us! It’s not even a life anymore — it’s just waiting on you! RACHEL It’s nightfall, EDEN. It’s time to light the menorah. EDEN Why are you concerned with that now? You weren’t last night. Do you just want to outdo Mrs. Ackerman and her menorah? RACHEL (shouting) Can we please talk about that some other time and light the menorah now? EDEN You can do it by yourself. I’m uninterested in playing pretend with someone who doesn’t actually believe in this stuff. You just pull it out when it’s convenient. Well, guess what?Adonai’s not convenient. Life’s not convenient. I’m not convenient. [EDEN storms off, exiting stage left.] RACHEL (shouting after EDEN) I guess it’s up to me. [She stands up and looks at the unlit menorah. She moves as if to pick up a matchbox and strike a match, then lights the first two candle (the ones furthest stage right, starting with the one more stage left). When the mimed match would hit the second candle…] [Spotlight up. The menorah is lit.] RACHEL The things I do for her. [RACHEL exits stage left. Upstage lights down; then, three seconds later, the spotlight goes off.]
SCENE THREE. [Upstage lights up.  RACHEL enters stage left.] RACHEL The next day was quiet. [EDEN enters stage left, picks up the envelopes and papers, and walks towards stage left, just kind of standing there.] EDEN and I barely spoke a word to each other all day. She was hurt by both what I had said and by my lack of passion for… anything over the past three years. I was hurt by her cruelty. But I also knew that she was right, and that made me bitter. That night, she lit the menorah and I stood by and watched. [RACHEL exits stage left.  EDEN approaches the table.  The two pass each other and pause, exchanging a glance.] EDEN The day after, the third day and fourth night of Hanukkah, was also quiet. It was a Shabbat, so I was planning on going to the temple like usual. But then, as I was just about to leave… [RACHEL enters stage left.] RACHEL EDEN? EDEN Yes, eema? RACHEL Are you going to temple? EDEN Yes, eema. RACHEL I’m coming, too. EDEN And so we went together.  And everyone swarmed eema like I knew they would… [RACHEL pretends to be the center of attention, responding to everyone’s praises about her return and questions about her absence.] …but it was good.  And she lit the candles that night while I watched. [RACHEL and EDEN both exit stage right.  Upstage lights down.]
SCENE FOUR. [Upstage lights up. RACHEL enters stage left, with the thing functioning as a photo album open. She sits in a chair and leafs through it.] [EDEN enters stage left and watches.] RACHEL My sons, my sons, oh, how I miss you. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. EDEN Their favorite holiday was Hanukkah, mom. They loved it when you would tell them the story. They loved the food and the games and the crafts, but they loved the hope most of all. RACHEL How long have you been standing there? EDEN Not very long. Just long enough to know that you were thinking about the boys again. RACHEL I’m sorry. I know you — EDEN No, mom. You don’t have to be sorry. You’re allowed to grieve. It’s just… you can’t stay in the darkness. Adonai always provides a way out. The boys knew that. That’s why they loved the story of Hanukkah so much. RACHEL I should be over it by now. EDEN There is no “over it”. There’s just learning to live with it. Grief cracks open your soul. It’s far less painful to hide in the dark, but that lets the wounds fester and causes long-term damage. Letting the light clean the wounds doesn’t make them go away, but it helps you deal with them. RACHEL Who brought you up to be so wise? EDEN The woman named after one of the cleverest women in the Torah. [EDEN and RACHEL embrace.] And she did it through the stories of our people, like the story of Hanukkah. RACHEL You just want me to go out and buy you more chocolate coins like I used to. EDEN No, eema.  I want you to tell me the Hanukkah story like you used to. And then I want us to light the menorah together, as a family, like we used to. RACHEL Well, okay… Once upon a time, the golden menorah, which sat in the great temple built by King Solomon himself, was stolen. An inferior replacement was made, not out of any attempt at human greatness, but because Adonai had commanded that the menorah in His temple always be burning. But when it was time to light the menorah, there could only be found enough in the entire city to burn for one day. Yet Adonai caused it to burn for eight days. EDEN Why eight days? RACHEL That’s how long it took for more oil to arrive. This miracle proved that, in the midst of dark circumstances of war and chaos, Adonai was still looking out for His children. He still provided them with light. EDEN Do you think that Adonai does that today? [There’s a pause.] Mom? Do you think that Adonai can still provide us with the light today? RACHEL Let’s find out. [They both walk towards the menorah. EDEN stands right next to RACHEL as she mimes lighting the five candles furthest stage right, starting with the ones stage left. At the end…] [Spotlight on.] EDEN [EDEN walks in front of the table.] [RACHEL lights six candles as EDEN speaks.] The next day, mom made an appointment with a therapist. A lot of people think that Jews don’t go to therapy, including my mom. That’s probably why she was so stuck for so many years in a land without the light. And, even though we didn’t see the effects until a few appointments in, that night we all felt real hope. [RACHEL comes to stand next to EDEN.] RACHEL It was a long journey. And I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my beautiful bath — my daughter.  Throughout the year, she kept reminding me of the light. [EDEN walks behind the table and lights seven candles.] RACHEL By the next year, I was in a better place. I had been burned by the light — we both had — but it cleaned our wounds. I was able to really begin healing. I knew I never was going to become who I was before, but I also knew that I could be me again instead of a creature of the night. And so on the eighth night of Hanukkah a year later, we had a small get-together with a couple of people. EDEN Was Mrs. Ackerman there? RACHEL [moves to stand by EDEN while speaking] Even Mrs. Ackerman.  And she was as delightful as ever, because my grief was no longer clouding my perception of reality and memory. EDEN And all of us, together, began a new tradition.  Where we’d open our house and home and spread the khah-mee-moot — the warmth of companionship — with anyone and everyone who felt like they’d managed to miss out on it in the past, for whatever reason. RACHEL And the holidays once again grew into a hullaballoo, but they were a kinder, gentler one than the stressful mess they had been before. [RACHEL and EDEN together mime lighting all eight candles on the menorah.  Downstage lights up.] RACHEL and EDEN, together And the light never ran out. [Upstage and downstage lights down; three seconds later, spotlight off.]
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