Rugelach

Hanukkah guests are coming tonight
to celebrate the first evening of eight
honoring the rededication of the Holy
Temple. Menorah ready, with one candle
and its Shamash candle to light it.

Dreidels scattered on the table,
gelt as prizes for wins,
latkes warming in the oven,
but, alas, no dessert.

I run out to Raley’s to pick up
some rugelach, a typical dessert
for the season. Stuffed with
raisins and chocolate chips,
these mini-crescent roll-ups
bring the meal to a sweet close.
My mouth waters on the way.

I find no rugelach at Raley’s.
Never one to be shy,
I ask the manager if the store
has any, enunciating the name
with extra care: ru-ge-lach.
“Follow me,” he says, leading me
to the produce section.
Did he hear me correctly?

We arrive at the bins,
and he says, “There you are,”
pointing to the arugula.
After I stop laughing,
I buy ingredients for a honey
cake, and return home
to share the tale.

Need more Hanukkah reading? Enjoy these delights from this year and past as we celebrate eight nights of glorious light — and the upcoming new year!

• Octet – Hanukkah Fiction
• The Jewfish – A Holiday Tale
• Year of Hope – New Year Poetry
• A Deal is a Deal – Flash Fiction for New Year’s Eve
• In the Mediterranean at Midnight – New Year’s Eve Romance Fiction

Evie Groch

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Evie Groch, Ed.D. is a Field Supervisor/Mentor for new administrators in Graduate Schools of Education. Her opinion pieces, humor, poems, short stories, recipes, word challenges, and other articles have been widely published in the New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Contra Costa Times, The Journal, Games Magazine, and many online venues. Many of her poems are in published anthologies. Her short stories, poems, and memoir pieces have won her recognition and awards. Her travelogs have been published online with Grand Circle Travel. The themes of travel, language, immigration, and justice are special for her.

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