(In 2011, Hanukkah begins the evening of December 20th.)
, some background articles:
Please email me with links to other Hanukkah songs, or lyrics. Even better, record versions of some of the unavailable songs and send me the mpegs!
With MusicChinese Food on XmasChipmunk Chanukah Adam Sandler's Chanukah song; ver2; ver3 Hanukkah in Santa Monica, by Tom Lehrer Unknown song, as a video, in Israel Hanukkah music video, based on Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" |
Without music- just references
Hanukkah
Rocks CD by the The
LeeVees
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For kids:
Muppet'esque.
For kids: Commentary on Chanukah... |
Why Jews don't believe in Jesus |
The "real meaning"* of Hanukah is that Jews are good at war. The Maccabees rebelled against the (waning) (Greek) Seleucid empire and freed Israel for 100 years around 164 B.C.E. Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple following the victory. So Hanukkah is essentially a Zionist holiday-- it celebrates Jews regaining the rule of Israel.
Hanukkah can be thought of as a minor holiday, sort of like Armistice Day in the US. It'd be a forgotten holiday, except for three things. First, the Jews are pretty good at remembering small holidays. Second, the Jews were trounced about 200 years later when they rebelled against the Romans, and the history of winning wars stopped until modern times, esp. the Six-Day War. Third, the holiday falls near a holiday central to capitalism and a major US religion, so many Americans incorrectly assume Hanukkah is a major holiday, too.
In our neighborhood, the local public elementary school likes to put up a few not-very-religious Xmas decorations, and to pretend they're not prejudiced, also a few Chanukkiyahs (menorahs) and Stars of David. While the former is a symbol of this, albeit Zionist, holiday, the latter is mainly the symbol of Israel.
Thank you, Mountain View School District, for your unwavering support of Israel this holiday season.
* real meaning: Meanings are inherently imaginary, made-up...