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Mormon Senator Orin Hatch Composes New Hanukkah Song

By Howard M. Friedman

Tuesday's New York Times reports that Republican Senator Orin Hatch, a Mormon from Utah has written the lyrics for a catchy Hanukkah song, "Eight Days of Hanukkah." The music is by Hatch's musical collaborator,Madeline Stone. Hatch is known for writing Christian hymns and patriotic songs, but this is his first Jewish composition. Hatch says, "Mormons believe the Jewish people are the chosen people, just like the Old Testament says." Jeffrey Goldberg writing in Tablet Magazine chronicles the background that led to Hatch writing the song. It began with a conversation between Goldberg and Hatch ten years ago, and got a push from a blog entry by Goldberg last year. Here is a video of the song being performed by Rasheeda Azar, a Syrian-American vocalist from Indiana.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on December 10, 2009 (boomark / email).