Assistant Professor in UAB’s Department of Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Carlie Stein Somerville MD, spoke to the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion (Heersink ODI) about how she and her family celebrate the holiday.
First, Somerville explains the story of the eight-day holiday, which typically falls in December, “It all goes back to the story of Hanukkah, which was about a miracle that happened after the holy temple was destroyed. There was only a small amount of oil left, enough to last one night. Yet somehow, the oil lasted for eight nights. Reflecting that story, it is customary to light a candle every night with our family and say the blessings for Hanukkah. This holiday is about family, spending time together, and being grateful for our time together. “
How Somerville and her family celebrate:
The mom of two explains her holiday traditions, “On the first night of Hanukkah, we get together with our entire family, including cousins, aunts, uncles, and kids. Sometimes friends also join and we light the menorah together. Then, we say blessings, and eat customary foods fried in oil—which is everybody's favorite. We make potato pancakes called latkes, and eat donuts or 'sufganiyot' amongst other sweet, fried foods.”
Gift giving during Hannukah
Somerville explains, “We open gifts with family, and that's just for fun. It can be anything. Generally, it's not part of the Hanukkah story. Many families will do like eight small gifts so that you get something small every night, and some families do a gift on the first night. Everybody does that a little bit differently.”
A recipe for Somerville’s latkes
Here is the Somerville family recipe for this delicious holiday treat, “There are three ingredients in this dish: potato, onion, and a binder. You cut up a lot of potatoes like you would if you were making hash browns and then put them together with onion and eggs and fry them in a pan.”
About the toppings, Somerville says, “Most people put toppings on their latkes. For instance, applesauce or sour cream are two of my favorites. Some people even do like a berry jam on their latkes.”
Somerville’s favorite Hannukah memories:
My best memories of Hanukkah as a child would be walking into my grandparent's house, and there would be this wave of smoke and fog from frying latkes. My grandfather was always in the kitchen, cooking those latkes for the whole family. There are also memories of how special it was to have our family together over the holidays and sing together. There are a lot of songs about Hanukkah, and we do a lot of just singing and blessings. We sing to thank God for the miracle of Hannukah, for all we have and are grateful.”
