What does one do when the lights and heat go out on one of the darkest and coldest days of the year – and on erev Shabbos, no less! The responses of community members to the blackout of Shabbos Chanukah, 5783, showed ingenuity and resilience. Here are their stories:
Making “Light” of the Situation
Throughout the
blackout of Shabbos Chanukah, 5783, Chaya Rivka Youlus concentrated on the
thought that Hashem put us in this situation and that we needed to stay focused
on observing a happy Shabbos Chanukah in the best way possible. “Like many
things in life, blackouts occur at inconvenient times and create an upheaval in
our routines,” says Chaya Rivka. “For me, erev Shabbos Chanukah is one
of the most rushed Fridays of the year. Our power outage occurred approximately
two hours before Shabbos. I had an early warning at work when the electricity
went off briefly several times along with howling winds and swaying trees.”
Chaya Rivka’s street
does not have gas lines, so they rely on electricity not only for lights and
refrigeration but also for cooking and to operate their oil heating system. Chaya
Rivka decided to set her refrigerator in Shabbos mode so she would be able to open the refrigerator door
on Shabbos even if the power returned. She set the lights in the rooms
needed for Shabbos and prepared yahrtzeit candles in strategic locations
throughout the house.
“I had started warming up our Shabbos food when the blackout happened.
We called BGE to report our power outage and received an automated reply saying
that they would notify us as soon as they had an estimated time of restoration.
Since it was a holiday weekend and the storm winds continued, along with
numerous downed trees, I tried to think of our options for Shabbos. The clock
was ticking, and a decision was needed quickly. Because we were seven people, I
did not want to invite ourselves elsewhere for Shabbos, I suggested that we
check if my mother-in-law’s apartment had electricity. My wonderful
mother-in-law had recently passed away, and the contents of her apartment were
in the midst of being packed up.
“With one hour until Shabbos, I jumped into action. I quickly boxed all
our Shabbos food, including our still hot crock-pot and soup. Each family
member rolled up their linens, quilts, and pillows to transport in large bags, along
with our clothes and essentials, including the menorah, tea lights, and a
portable cot. We quickly loaded the cars, drove over, and unloaded the cars.
With no time to spare, I warmed up the Shabbos food, and we lit the menorah and
Shabbos tea lights.”
Although the soup was mostly lost on the way due to an overturned box, the
Youluses enjoyed a memorable Shabbos Chanukah in an apartment with lights,
refrigeration, and hot food – with the added pro of being right next door to a
major shul. “I had a very good feeling that my mother-in-law was still caring
for us,” says Chaya Rivka, “and we were pleasantly surprised after making havdalah
to discover that electricity had been restored in our home on Friday night at
about 8:15 p.m.”
The Party Goes On
At 2:30 erev Shabbos, seniors Nechama* and her husband realized
that they would have to leave their home. “We called BGE’s automated phone line
repeatedly after the outage,” she says, “but the company was unable to give a
time for restoring the power.” Fortunately, the couple has children in town,
and they ended up with their son on Yeshiva Lane.
Nechama’s main concern was the family Chanukah party she had planned
for Sunday. Calling BGE right after Shabbos, she was surprised to hear that the
power was still not restored. The estimated time was 11:00 p.m. Good, she
thought, the party can go on. Unfortunately, after calling a few more times,
including in the middle of the night, the time advanced to 4:45 a.m. and then
to 11:00 p.m. on Sunday!
What to do? A daughter-in-law offered her house for the party. It would
mean packing up the supplies and moving them to her house. It meant finishing
the cooking there as well. “I would have just canceled the party,” says
Nechama, “but I knew that the grandchildren would be very disappointed. My clever
little grandson suggested postponing the party to Monday, which was still a
vacation from school. I liked that idea, but other family members nixed it as
they had already made other plans for Monday.”
So, on Sunday morning, it was off to the freezing house to collect the
supplies and check on the food. The thermostat read 39 degrees! “The rooms were
probably colder than the interior of the refrigerator!” says Nechama. She and
her husband emptied some of the food from the fridge and freezer into a large
cardboard box and put it out on the deck, then packed up the party supplies.
With many hands to help, the party was a big success, and Nechama and her
husband returned to their own house in the evening to put things away. While
they were there, the lights suddenly went on. It was 6:15 p.m. Sunday night. By
9:30, the temperature in the house was still only 54 degrees, but Nechama slept
well in a nightgown plus pajamas, socks, two hot water bottles, and three
covers on the bed, including a down comforter. In the morning, she was surprised
to find that the temperature in the house was still only 66 degrees and even
more surprised that it took a full 24 hours – until Monday evening – for the boiler
to heat up the house to its normal setting.
Cholent, Blankets,
and Games
Esther* was
cooking for Shabbos and had just gotten half the food into the oven when the
power went out. Unlike the Youlus family, Esther and her family decided to
spend Shabbos Chanukah in place. “Baruch
Hashem, we are very fortunate to have a gas stove, so I was able to
switch everything from oven to stovetop. It was still light outside, so I
opened the blinds and put a candle in the bathroom. Everything else had already
been prepared the night before for Shabbos.
“Unfortunately, I was caught up in the moment and didn’t consider the
possibility that the outage might last into Shabbos. I knew we would have warm
food for lunch, and I just kept thinking how nice it would be to spend one
night without power. I contacted family and friends to make sure they were
okay. (I forgot to ask myself if my family needed anything.)
“As the temperature dropped, we used blankets to keep warm and brought our
pets closer to the warmth of the blech. (Not on the blech, of
course!) One fish was a casualty because the tank’s heater didn’t work. I came
up with a game with the little kids, consisting of finding out how many layers
of clothing we could put on at one time. (It was thoroughly entertaining.) We
were careful that nothing should cause a fire accidentally and waited until the
Chanukah candles were out to go to sleep.
In the past, Esther would run a cable across the street to neighbors if
they had power. For some reason, it didn’t occur to them to do that this time. “I
suppose we all thought the power would go on again before we knew it. In the
future, I will be more practical and make sure that we at least have heat, and I
would ask friends if the kids could sleep over. I never thought the temperature
would go as low as it did.
“Everyone slept soundly, and it was wonderful to go to shul on Shabbos
morning and find it warm. We were prepared to ask BGE what the estimated
restoration was as soon as Shabbos ended and have the kids sleep at friends’
houses. As the very last resort, we would go to a hotel. As darkness fell, this
became an increasing possibility. But we knew that at least one phone was
charged and that, without snow on the ground, communicating and driving would
be easy.
“About 15 minutes before Shabbos was to end, one light flickered, and
then all the lights turned on. After Shabbos, we enjoyed warm food and a warm
night, baruch Hashem. We also caught up with a few friends and
family members, who were surprised that we stayed home – which, overall, I
would say, turned out to be nice and sweet.”
Hunkered Down
The Herskovitzes
lost power in their all-electric house shortly before 2:30 p.m., after the
lights flickered on and off, well after Pesi finished cooking for Shabbos. She
agreed with her husband, R’ Yankel, that since it was just the two of them,
they would hunker down rather than take people up on their kind hospitality
invitations. She immediately rounded up her battery-operated lanterns and supply
of yahrtzeit candles to disperse in the various rooms they would be
using over Shabbos.
“I walked around
the house to see which light switches were flipped on,” recalls Pesi, who also
gathered extra duvet comforters before it got pitch black. “I didn’t want the
bedroom light to go on and I didn’t want the lights off in the bathrooms if
power was restored during Shabbos. I also didn’t want my stovetop to be left on
throughout Shabbos. I did leave the soup pot that was sitting on the already
turned-on plata (electric hotplate), because I figured if the
electricity came back on, we could have hot soup for Shabbos lunch.”
“When Shabbos came
in, as soon as I bentched licht, it dawned on me that I really should
have used the taller candlesticks; I knew that by 8 p.m. the house would be
dark, other than the yahrtzeit licht flickering. By that time, it was
also getting very cold; the temperature had gone down rapidly to 59 degrees.”
Baruch Hashem, by 10 p.m.,
their power was turned back on, and the temperature started to rise. “Shabbos
day was fine,” says Pesi. “We had our hot soup from Friday night for Shabbos
lunch, and all was good in the world. In retrospect, I realized that Shabbos is
spent reading and learning, and the yahrtzeit licht didn’t really work for
us; I want to do some research to find out if there is some sort of
battery-operated lamp that we could buy in case this should happen again.”
Be Prepared: Tips
A prolonged winter
power outage can be a stressful situation, especially if you’re unprepared.
Planning for the possibility will, hopefully, enable us to brave any upcoming
storms with a clear, calm head. Here are some cold weather hacks to help you
brave a winter power outage:
·
Stock up on food, water, and extra warm
blankets.
·
Stock up on batteries for power
flashlights and lanterns (e.g., from the Dollar Store), and make sure they are
easily accessible. The Energizer LED Camping Lantern – 240-400 High Lumens,
IPX4 Water Resistant, Battery Powered LED – boasting a 100-hour runtime can be
used as an emergency light.
·
Strategically place left-on
battery-lit lanterns and flashlights around the house.
·
If you have a gas stove, buy a blech, even if you usually use a hot
plate or the time-bake feature on your oven.
·
Have yahrtzeit candles and longer
Shabbos candles on hand.
·
Consider purchasing a portable
generator or installing a backup standby generator.
·
Lower the temperature of your
refrigerator and freezer prior to an expected outage to increase the chance
your food will last should the power go out. You might want to move perishables
like milk and meat into the freezer, so they’ll stay colder. To conserve the
cold air inside your refrigerator, avoid opening it more than necessary.
·
Move food into your car or even on
the deck (if protected from animals).
·
To block drafts from entering your
home, caulk your windows before cold weather strikes and check the weather
stripping around your doors. Check the insulation in your attic and replace or
supplement if necessary. Also, consider purchasing some door draft stoppers.
·
Because it is much easier to warm a
smaller space than a bigger one, condense your living space. If you have a heat
source like a fireplace or wood stove, close off the room it is in from the
rest of the house to use fuel more efficiently. Even if you do not have one,
the body heat generated could help keep you warmer in a small, insulated room,
rather than in a wide-open house.
·
Keep doors to the outside closed.
·
Cover windows and close blinds at
night.
·
Dress in multiple layers for one of
your best defenses against the cold, starting with a warm base layer, like
thermal underwear and a pair or two of wool socks. Keep in mind that you lose a
lot of heat through your hands, feet, and head, so a warm hat, boots, and
mittens (which maintain heat better than gloves) are advisable.
·
Bring your outdoor solar lights
inside the house for a source of illumination.
·
To avoid frozen pipes – one of the
main negative consequences of a power outage – insulate your water pipes with
foam sleeves, old sweaters, and the like, and let your faucets drip or trickle.
·
Carbon-monoxide poisoning is an
insidious risk, especially during winter power outages, so don’t use a gas
range for household heat, and only operate portable stoves, charcoal grills,
and generators outside and at least 20 feet away from any windows. Don’t use a
propane heater indoors unless it’s specially designed for that purpose, and
make sure your carbon-monoxide detectors are working on a regular basis.
Sidebar
Holding onto Chanukah
by Ruby Katz
Several years ago in Atlanta,
Rabbi Ilan Feldman stood at the podium in our shul and said, “The rabbis gave
us Chanukah to hold onto all year.” Since that time, I’ve kept driedels in
almost ever room in the house and spin them, too. Sometimes, I even take out my
Chanukah dish towels, which bring up memories of meals with family and friends.
Most of all, I keep Chanukah in my heart. But this year, I wasn’t sure I wanted
to remember Chanukah when we were without power for several days.
In late
November, my stepson Ellie and his wife Esther called and said they planned to
visit us in Baltimore for Shabbos Chanukah. Since they hadn’t stayed with us in
a long time, we were elated. Then, a week later, I fell off a step in my house,
hurt my back and suffered a bad cut on my leg. Hatzalah arrived within minutes
and drove us to Sinai, where a doctor stitched up my leg and said, “You’ll have
to go to Wound Care.”
I never even
heard of Wound Care. When I went, the week before Shabbos Chanukah, the doctor
ordered me to keep my leg elevated for an hour four times a day. I told him I’m
having family coming for the holiday. “You broke your back and cut your leg;
tell them not to come,” he advised, adding, “If my mother had this happen, we
would cancel Christmas.”
Maybe I should
have remained silent, but I blurted out, “I’m not giving up Chanukah. The nurse
said, “You’ll be a spectator.”
I didn’t tell
the family not to come, but I told Esther that I would need help in the
kitchen. “No problem,” she assured me.
Friday
morning, Ellie, Esther, and children arrived. Neither they nor my husband and I
knew how the storm would affect us in Baltimore that Shabbos. An hour later,
walking out the door for a Wound Care follow up, I felt the chill of
temperatures moving down to the teens and a gust of wind that blew the hair of
my sheital in my face. I prayed that I’d get to the appointment and back home
safely, which I did, b”H.
When I got
home, it was quiet, too quiet – no hum of the refrigerator, no steady rumbling
of the heat, and no lights. “We lost power,” said my husband. It was about
three hours before Shabbos. My sweet daughter-in-law had roasted the chicken
and started the soup, and our son prepared the cholent. But without the use of
electricity, how would the cholent and chicken soup get done, and how would the
food stay warm?
On Olympia
Avenue, the houses on our side of the street lose power easily, while those
across the street rarely do. Our across-the-street neighbor, Mrs. R, offered to
finish cooking our food and then put it on her blech before Shabbos. She also
said, “You can’t sleep in your house tonight; it’s too cold.” She already had
company, but, she added, “The house next door is empty; maybe you could sleep
there.”
That house had
belonged to Mrs.Geller, who, at 95, had passed away only two weeks before.
While she was alive, I liked to visit every so often – not often enough. But
every time I visited, I sat down beside her at her kitchen table with her siddur and Tehillim nearby. She was so easy to talk to, and I felt her holiness.
As a young kallah, Mrs. Geller and her husband, an army chaplain, had opened
their home to soldiers. Later, she hosted congregants of the shuls led by her
husband in Norwich, Connecticut, and Malden, Maine, where they were known for
their kiruv work. Now I was
contemplating sleeping in her house. I called her daughter, who said, “My
mother would be so happy to open her home to you. Hachnasas orchim was her mitzva.” How could I resist that
invitation?
Right before
Shabbos, we all lit our menorahs. Then Esther and I lit our Shabbos candles.
When the men walked in from shul, another neighbor from across and down the
street, Dr. L, walked in with them. “How can you sleep in this house without
heat?” he asked our guests. “We were supposed to have company, but they had to
cancel, so we have room in our basement for the six of you.”
Thank G-d, we
were all set for sleeping but first welcomed Shabbos in our home, where it
wasn’t very cold yet. Our son and grandsons carried the warm food back from
across the street. The smell of chicken soup filled the air. It was a lovely
candlelit Shabbos. In fact, our 18-year-old yeshiva bachur said, “Maybe we should do this every Friday night.”
As the candles
burned down and the house got colder, we bentched and hurried to leave with
sheets, pillows, and blankets.
That night I
slept in Mrs. Geller’s bedroom and dreamed that she and her husband were
together, smiling. It was an honor for me to be there, but the heat and lights
were still out across the street in our home. We ate Shabbos lunch at the young
Mrs. D’s home. I couldn’t get over the kindness of all our neighbors. Still, my
leg was bothering me because I wasn’t elevating it, and I was feeling weary. We
were hoping that some time on Shabbos, the power would be restored on our side
of the block. But it wasn’t.
That night, my
husband lit candles in the Geller living room window. The next night, he lit
all eight candles in the same window. As I watched the flames dance, I felt
like we were lighting Zos Chanukah candles
for the Gellers, too.
About twenty
minutes after lighting, my husband said, “I’ve got a gift for you.” I was ready
for a gift. “Look outside,” he said. When I did, I saw that the lights in our
house were on. That was a great gift. It was still too cold to sleep there, so
we spent one more night in the Geller house. And the next morning, we were back
home.
Do I want to
hold onto this Chanukah when the lights went out in our home? I certainly do, even
with my wounded leg, I’ll remember Shabbos Chanukah with our children by
candlelight and appreciate that Hashem blessed us with wonderful neighbors who
are always opening their hearts to us. And, for sure, I hope to remember
sleeping in Mrs. Geller’s home, where the lights stayed on.
