ETCETERA
NIGHTCAP
All I Want For Chanukah ...
is&
l e
By Harry Kirsbaum
t used to be easy.
As a kid growing up in Flint, I
was treated to one big gift on the
first day of Chanukah, usually a toy
gun. From the James Bond attache
case, to the Johnny Seven O.M.A.
(One Man Army), to the snub-nose
revolver and shoulder holster like
Mannix had, to the sniper rifle and .45
automatic pistol replicas. I liked my
plastic projectiles and the sound of
firearm hammer meeting small bits of
gunpowder attached to a roll of red
paper.
I used those guns when playing
war in what the neighborhood kids
called "the Field" down the street
from my house. We played on "Hump-
back Hill" in the middle of a large
expanse of wild grasses and trees —
sledding during the winter and tak-
ing on the Nazis in the summer. We
were all fans of the TV show Combat
and we all wanted to be Vic Morrow.
After a day spent charging up hills
and taking down machine gun nests,
I kept a few toy guns under my pillow
at night to protect my family (Mom,
I
Dad, brother and three parakeets)
in case a toy cat burglar broke into
the house. Sure, the pillow was a bit
lumpy, but jumping out of bed in
pajamas (I practiced!) with my Johnny
Seven and its machine gun, grenade
launcher, anti-tank rocket and armor-
piercing missile, I was a formidable,
and slightly crazed, sight.
During my early Festival of Lights
celebrations, every toy gun received
on the first day was followed by
successively dwindling amounts of
Chanukah gelt. And on the eighth
day, I'd get brisket.
Chanukah was based on a revolt,
and the reason to celebrate was
pretty much the same reason we
celebrated all Jewish holidays with
one difference —They tried to kill us.
They didn't. Let's sing,"I Had a Little
Dreidel."
Chanukah was always a happy
time, and I almost never thought of
converting whenever I was invited
over to Dick Sharp's house around
the corner on Christmas Day to see
all the wonderful and expensive toys
wisi
ITIPAwa
he and his twin brothers and sister
hauled in. Except for the one mo-
ment of weakness when he got the
scuba diving gear for his G.I. Joe. But
my faith held.
As time marched on, the Field was
turned into a subdivision called Eldo-
rado Vista, which sounds more like a
retirement community on the Texas
side of Boca than a place where we
happily moved.
As I grew up, the toy guns disap-
peared from my wish list and from
store shelves, too. Real wars were rag-
ing and not just in faraway places. Toy
guns looked too much like real guns,
and it became safer to play virtual
war on video games in living rooms
than risk a street encounter with a kid
who didn't own "play" guns.
Now I'm old. All those toys are collec-
tor's items, and it's just as easy to find a
real gun in a store than a toy one.
I see frightening things happening
in the Mideast, and I keep tabs on my
friends and family in Israel to make
sure they are safe and know that I
am thinking of them and supporting
whatever they choose to do to keep
safe.
It's still easy.
All I want for Chanukah is peace.
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50 December 2012
I RED THREAD
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