Milkweed

Last year, Mrs. Milgrom wouldn’t let Misha celebrate Hanukkah with the family—but this year, Mr. Milgrom says that he will be included. Mr. Milgrom tells Misha the history of Hanukkah: how the Jewish people, many centuries ago, defeated their Greek oppressors despite being very outnumbered, and their limited oil supply miraculously lasted for eight nights. Mr. Milgrom explains that it’s up to them, as Jews, to celebrate themselves and to never forget how to be happy.

Misha asks Mr. Milgrom—whom he now calls “Tata”—what “happy” means. Mr. Milgrom compares happiness to the taste of an orange, but Misha has never eaten one. Then, he compares it to being warm after having been cold—but he explains that happiness is inside a person. Misha looks at Janina sitting sadly on the floor. She hasn’t been happy since the day of the burning cow.

As Mr. Milgrom takes a silver candleholder and lights the first of eight candles, the other residents stay on their side of the room. The little twins come to look, however. Even as they hear gunshots and screams in the street, Mr. Milgrom prays and sings over the flames. Then, he makes Misha, Janina, and the twins join him in dancing in a circle. Janina remains slumped and reluctant, but Misha imitates Mr. Milgrom’s smile as best he can.

Mr. Milgrom gives both children the gift of a new comb. Misha happily combs his tangled and lice-ridden hair, but Janina refuses to open her present, so Misha combs her hair for her. She doesn’t smile, but she doesn’t stop him.

On the second day of Hanukkah, the candleholder has been stolen. Misha isn’t surprised—he knows that the other family probably took it in order to trade it for money or food. Misha is used to the idea that “things exist to be stolen.” Mr. Milgrom doesn’t make a fuss about the theft; he lights a tiny candle stub and gives Misha the job of being the menorah. They and the twins sing songs, but Janina won’t get up from the floor. Hanukkah continues in this way. Eventually, the candle burns away, so Mr. Milgrom says that their own hearts will be the flames.

Janina stops going smuggling at night; she even stops complaining. Misha combs her hair for her every day, but he can’t make her smile. Then, he has an idea to find Janina a pickled egg—her favorite. So, the night before the last day of Hanukkah, he goes on a mission. He finds some pickle spears in somebody’s pantry, then finally finds one egg sitting on a shoemaker’s workbench. He races home, dodging Jackboots at one point.

As Misha rushes home, he trips over a body hidden in the snow and cracks the egg—but the egg doesn’t break. Misha thinks this is a miracle. When he gets home, he shows the egg and pickles to Mr. Milgrom, explaining that he wanted to make Janina happy. Mr. Milgrom looks at Misha for a long time. He says that the egg isn’t the miracle—Misha is. When Janina wakes up, she doesn’t care that Misha hasn’t brought her a real pickled egg. Ecstatically, she savors the hard-boiled egg and then hugs Misha. As Misha falls asleep, he feels Janina combing his hair.