Academic

Orrin Hatch Releases Chanukah Song

By JA Hodnicki

Posted by D. Daniel Sokol

Senator Orrin Hatch, the senior senator from Utah (to use the Adam Sandler parlance, "Not a Jew"), has just released his first Chanukah song.  The New York Times has full coverage here. 

This is my opportunity to digress a bit and discuss Chanukah instead of grading my corporations final exam.  This year we bought some new Chanukah books for the girls.  The first that we read is A Blue's Clues Chanukah.  In the story, Blue and her friends Mr. Salt, Mrs. Pepper, Magenta, Slippery, Tickety and Joe visit Orange Kitten (funny, she doesn't look Jewish) and celebrate Chanukah together.  I recommend it highly for those that have kids who watch Blues Clues.

The second book that the girls enjoyed is in the Sammy Spider series - Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah.  Our protagonist Sammy Spider learns about Chanukah from his friends the Shapiro family.  The girls also liked this one. 

This Saturday evening we are having a Chanukah party at our house.  What is the right sort of music to play?  Lots of Jewish performers produce Christmas albums (Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Kenny G, Michael Bolton, etc.) and the best known Christmas song of all time, White Christmas, was written by Irving Berlin.  How about a Chanukah album?  There is the famous Adam Sandler Chanukah song (in three versions no less).  There is also Hanukkah Blessings by the Barenaked Ladies.  My kids' favorite (at least until Lady Gaga comes out with a Chanukah tune) has got to be the following remake of an 80s classic.  I wish Joey Ramone (born Jeffrey Ross Hyman) had made a Chanukah album before he died.  I am still holding out for a Kiss Chanukkah album.  Both Paul Stanley (born Stanley Eisen) and Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz) celebrate Chanukah.

As a Latin American Jew coming from a Spanish speaking household,* we would sing Chanukah songs in Spanish.  Here is hoping that one day Shakira, Soda Stereo and/or Mana release a Chanukah album in Spanish.

* If you have met me, you wonder how I speak English without an accent.  We came to the US when I was a boy for what was supposed to be a few years and has turned out to be much longer.  I am the first US citizen in my family and my daughters are the first Sokols to be natural born Americans and eligible to be President.  I became a US citizen in 1994 (before I met my wife), which means that when I married her, it was for love and not the green card.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on December 09, 2009 (boomark / email).