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150

Sunday, Dec. 26  
[[strikethrough]] May 29 [[/strikethrough]]

Records blaring away. Rose at 6 - to go out painting with U La Shino, U Ba Kyi, & T. Min Aye. We drove to the Dutch Embassy & picked up Beata Welsing.

It was a lovely, cool morning. I made an indifferent study in oil (unable to work well, since instead of turpentine, I had brought water with me (my sleepiness to blame for the error).

Aft. Lunch with the painters here at home & reworked the oil sketch - not bad - not too good, either.

At 6 P.M. Dressed for the Hacohen's Chanukah party to be held in their garden. They have invited the entire Jewish community of 100 besides all the Jewish visitors, in all 150 persons.

The Chanukah festival was charming - Garden all lit up with colored


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Chanukah party at the Hacohens   
Sun. Dec. 26
[[strikethrough]] May 30 [[/strikethrough]]

lanterns - which attracted all the bugs in the city - some simply enormous ones. However, tables with refreshments were set up. Blue & white paper caps & crowns with the Jewish star - of all shapes for the children, as well as dolls were distributed.

A prayer over the menorah was said by the Rabbi, a pleasant faced earnest young man with red handlebar mustache. Then a program, all in Hebrew - Reading from the bible, a poem to Israel by Bialik, childrens recitations, children dancing the native dances with song, ending with a film program showing the archeological excavation in Israel (Exhibit I had seen at the Met.) & a cartoon for the little ones.

The children who were on the program were Bracha's Hebrew pupils - Hacohen gave a long talk describing the origin of Chanukah & managed to make the story (heard so many times) fresh, instructive & deeply moving. They are unusual people - both.