It was so Israeli when...: we gathered together to light up the night....

Hanukkah has come to an end; so too, has my doughnut binge and my mini (2 day) vacation from work. This whole week, though, whether at work, out and about, or at home, I have felt the Hanukkah spirit and warmth. I spent a lot of time with friends and with my roommates. It was so Israeli when we gathered together to light candles as a family. Each night, I would look from window to window in the apartments across the street and instead of wanting that sense of family they all exuded, I felt that I too possessed it. My roommates and I tried to light candles together every night. Of course there were nights when we weren't home together, but coming together for a few minutes to light candles and sing and chat gave me such a sense of wholeness. Each holiday I spend here, I feel a bit less homesick because even though Hanukkah without my family and our Hanukkah parties and latkes from the box or (gasp) from the freezer are far away, my friends here have really become a part my family. Every holiday feels more and more normal here, and slowly I am incorporating new traditions into my life. Below are some pictures of a Hanukkah (and Christmas) in Israel.