Eighth Night for Ethan, Battle of the Schools -- Remarks from Alexia and Scott Kadish

Tonight is a milestone—tonight marks the fifth  Eighth Night for Ethan. Prior to the first, we had written remarks, but Ethan’s body decided that the hospital was where we needed to be that night, instead of celebrating the last night of Chanukah with the community which had already done so much to support us.

Thanks to our oldest son, Zakary, those remarks were still delivered, and a beautiful tradition was started.

Fortunately, we are here tonight, as one family, celebrating a holiday that has come to mean so much more to us than just the Miracle of Lights.

When speaking about the story of Chanukah, many like to focus on the messages of “a light in the darkness,” or “hope where there was none,” or “the miracle of oil.” Although it plays second fiddle to these themes, friendship, and unity, play a tremendous role in the Chanukah tale. It takes a special kind of bond to fight together against a well-trained Greek army, and the bonds of friendship—the brotherhood of the Maccabees—won the day, just as much as Judah’s hammer.

Ethan is blessed to have his own band of Maccabees fighting with him tonight. This entire event was envisioned, organized, and executed by some of Ethan’s closest friends from his time at Yavneh/Rockwern Academy.

These friends created the “Battle of the Schools” to help raise money for Ethan’s continuous medical care, and our family is so grateful for all the time and effort they have put in to making this night so special. We are constantly amazed by the amount of love people display for Ethan—as well as for our family—and this outpouring from his friends has been a tremendous sight to behold. Perhaps a true light in the darkness, providing us with hope where there was none. And some may even say, a miracle.

Even though these friends will soon be going their separate ways as they venture off to college, we hope that their bonds will remain strong. It takes a special kind of friendship to band together to fight for a friend who needs their aid.

Thank you all for coming, thank you for your generous donations to help make Ethan’s care a little bit easier, and thank you to Ethan’s Maccabees.