Hello Readers! It’s co-editor Gail with yet another blog that’s coincidentally falling right before a holiday. Tomorrow is the first night of Hanukkah!
Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah and several other different ways) is a Jewish holiday celebrating the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem in 200 B.C. following the Maccabean revolt against Greek-Syrian oppressors. Hanukkah means “dedication in Hebrew”.
You may also know the story of Judah Maccabee and the other Jews rededicating the temple lighting the menorah with one day’s worth of oil that miraculously lasted for eight nights.
It’s a beautiful holiday full of beautiful candle light, fun traditions like playing Dreidel and tasty food like potato latkes, donuts and chocolate coins. But it is ultimately about the endurance of the Jewish people despite brutal circumstances.
Though I admit, growing up, I never really thought of it that way because in the mainstream, it has basically been reduced to a Jewish response to Christmas.
Hanukkah has gift giving so Jewish children (and adults too probably) don’t feel left out this time of year. But Christmas remains so big that it’s difficult to compete. Especially in the music department.
That’s why, inspired by some new finds and everyone sharing their Spotify top 100, I have created a small Hanukkah playlist of 9 songs (one for each candle on the menorah including the center shamash candle) as a diverse sampling of Jewish songs and artists for folks to enjoy and be aware of this Hanukkah.
I Have A Little Dreidel Sung by The Maccabeats- I had to include probably the most well known and classic Hanukkah song but I wanted it with a twist to make it less repetitive, enter The Maccabeats! A Jewish Acapella group that I have enjoyed for many years. In this version of the song, they go through several different musical genres each with its own unique dreidel making material. I recommend checking out their song parodies they have done for Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays.
Judah Maccabee by Safam- Safam is a Jewish-American rock group from Boston I grew up listening to on cassette tapes and CD’s in the car as a kid and even saw in concert a few times (Safam is hebrew for mustache!). They have some songs that are solemn and serious and others that are fun and dancey. This is one of the fun ones! I either didn’t hear this one growing up so much or just don’t remember but it’s a legit jazzy bop and I am happy to have rediscovered it. I definitely recommend listening to their other work.
Ma’oz Tzur sung by Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson- I had actually never heard of Ma’oz Tzur before but it is a hebrew poem/hymn from the 13th century that means “stronghold of rock” and retells Jewish history. This year Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. recorded this beautiful rendition for his holiday album with his wife Nicolette Robinson who is Jewish herself. It has those cozy warm and fuzzy in front of the fireplace with cocoa as you watch the gentle snowfall out the window vibes.
Happy Epic Hanukkah by Rachel Bloom, Dan Gegor and Jack Dolgen- Jumping right out of calm and into some heavy metal! Happy Epic Hanukkah is a comedy Hanukkah song from an album entitled “Suck It Christmas!!!” that is definitely for a more mature audience. If you are familiar with Rachel Bloom’s work from her musical sitcom Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you’ll recognize the humor paired with an aesthetically on point musical motif surrounding it. It embodies that eternal scream all Jewish kids had inside listening to their Christian friends brag about how awesome Christmas is.
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah sung by The Barenaked Ladies- Back to a more traditional sound, I came across this Barenaked Ladies cover of “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah”, a translated version of a Yiddish song. I found this version to be very festive and was very impressed by their use of “sevivonim”, the hebrew word for dreidels (dreidel is a yiddish word). I’m personally not too familiar with their other work beyond The Big Bang Theory theme song but after hearing this I’m certainly more motivated to dive in.
Puppy For Hanukkah by Daveed Diggs- This song is what made me want to put this list together! It’s an adorable hip-hop song by another Hamilton Tony winner: Daveed Diggs, who is Jewsih himself. This song totally slaps! I love the underlying klezmer sounds. The music video is cute and funny and most of all, it is a wonderful representation of black jews, something we do not get enough of in the media. I hope we see more Jewish content from Diggs in the future.
Ocho Kandelikas sung by Idina Menzel- This is another new find for me from an artist I admire. I went searching in Idina’s holiday albums hoping to find something good for Hanukkah and she did not disappoint! “Ocho Kandelikas” is a lively latin style Hanukkah song with spanish lyrics that just makes you want to get up and move! Like I said before with Diggs, I love this blending of Judaism with cultures it typically isn’t associated with beyond stereotypes in pop culture. It displays that Jews are every color and background and all deserve to be seen and heard.
A Week and a Day performed by Boyz II Menorah & The Late Late Show with James Cordon- This one is a comedy boy band style Hanukkah song from The Late Late Show with James Cordon last year. The fake group consisted of James Cordon and Jewish singers and actors Zach Braff, Charlie Puth, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Josh Peck. It’s a silly Nsync/Backstreet Boys-esque song that has some cringey spoken word moments but it is also a serious ear worm. It’s in my head right now as I type this!
Chanukah Song by Adam Sandler- I could not complete this list without including the quintessential Adam Sandler Hanukkah song. It’s a ding dang classic to me and I take the time to listen to it every year even with the outdated references because it is such a fantastic and hilarious snapshot of Jewish-American culture at the time and I like that Sandler wrote it with the intention of making Jewish kids who live in predominantly Christian communities (like I did) feel like they are not alone or weird for being Jewish.
I made the playlist both on spotify and Youtube and will link them below if you want to give it a full listen through. I hope you find some new favorites to add to your holiday traditions. Whether or not you are Jewish I wish you a very happy Hanukkah and to remind you that like the Jewish people have survived the unimaginable in the past, so will we get through these dark times we are currently in. Here’s to the dreidel coming up gimmel in 2021!
Spotify:
Youtube:
Gail Bello is a poet and playwright from Waltham, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2019 with a BFA in Creative Writing and a minor in Theatre from The University of Maine at Farmington. Find her previous publications at https://thaumaturgedramaturge.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @AquajadeGail