Middle East
Marking the first night of Hanukkah in Kabul
Stars and Stripes
December 24, 2016
Navy Lt. Lauren Sucher, of Annapolis, Md., lights a menorah on the first night of Hanukkah, 2016 in Kabul, Afghanistan. (E.B. Boyd/Stars and Stripes)
Navy Lt. Lauren Sucher, of Annapolis, Md., lights a menorah on the first night of Hanukkah, 2016 in Kabul, Afghanistan. (E.B. Boyd/Stars and Stripes)
Navy Lt. Lauren Sucher, of Annapolis, Md., and Navy Chief Petty Officer Kent Frosch, of Washington, D.C., light a menorah on the first night of Hanukkah, 2016 in Kabul, Afghanistan. (E.B. Boyd/Stars and Stripes)
KABUL — At sundown on Saturday, Navy Lt. Lauren Sucher of Annapolis, Md., and Navy Chief Petty Officer Kent Frosch of Washington, D.C., stepped outside at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.
Surrounded by gym weights, football pendants, and a makeshift barbecue, the two fended off evening breezes to light the holiday candles. The menorah was borrowed from the base chaplain; the candles had been sent by a friend of Sucher’s. And the geld (chocolate coins) and dreidel were provided by KosherTroops.com, a charity that supports Jewish servicemembers.
“Hanukkah is a family holiday,” Frosch said. “Here you’re not with your family, but you’re with your deployed family.”