Old and new: Top 10 Hanukkah videos
Being holiday season and all, we felt compelled to list best Festival of Lights clips gone viral, including music videos, parodies, comedy sketches
So as you feast on latkes, brisket, and chocolate gelt for dinner tonight, why not accompany your meal with this delightful collection of Hanukkah-themed videos, sure to make you laugh, smile, dance the hora, and rejoice in tradition with friends, family and loved ones, in honor of this wonderful eight-day Jewish celebration.
Honorary mentions
Matisyahu – Miracle
2013 Houston Rockets (poorly) sing The Dreidel Song
Conan O'Brien's The Thanksgiving Turkey Dreidel
The Maccabeats – Burn
Rachel Bloom – Chanukah Money (Santa Baby parody)
Top 10
10. Jimmy Kimmel's The First Hanukkah Thanksgiving, presented by the Shepard Hill Elementary School Players
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel offers a fascinating re-imagining of the inaugural Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth, with the Jews replacing the pilgrims as the ones who encounter the Native Americans. When they both realize they don't have the essential ingredients for a proper Thanksgivukkah diner, it seems like all hope is lost, until, luckily, a giant menorah turkey strolls by.
9. StandFour – Eight Nights (Hanukkah Mashup)
StandFour, an American a capella group, the members of which hail from a Yeshiva, parody various pop anthems in their Hanukkah-themed mashup, and showcase their excellent vocal skills while doing so. Gracefully transforming One Direction's "Live While We're Young," Fun's "Some Nights" and Ke$ha's "Die Young" into upbeat songs about Jewish tradition and holidays, looks like StandFour is giving the Macccbeats a run for their chocolate gelt.
8. Duck Dynasty's Hanukkah Album
If you're fans of Duck Dynasty, the American reality television series on A&E, then you've certainly heard about their latest holiday album - yes they do music too - Duck The Halls - A Robertson Family Christmas.
Jimmy Kimmel reports that you may not have known, however, that your favorite redneck duck callers have also released a Hanukkah-themed album too. Check out a medley of songs below; during one of them, the Robertsons point how latkes are just really hashbrowns, and "that Jewish word is wrong."
7. Aish Ha Torah – Chanukah Jewish Rock of Ages
Taking some of the most well-known songs of all time and giving them new Hanukkah-related lyrics, including Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire”, the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” and the legendary “Twist and Shout,” this surely is a Jewish medley for the ages.
6. Sesame Street Hanukkah with Veronica Monica
This Sesame Street special is fun, educational, and informative. Elmo wants to learn about the Jewish holiday that is Hanukkah so, naturally, he watches the Hanukkah channel to learn more. Ideal for kids and adults looking to learn more about the origins of this holiday.
5. Technion Students, Israel – Maoz Tzur, Hanukkah 2013
The students from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, directly from the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, bring a beautiful a capella version of "Maoz Tzur" to the masses with this lovely rendition of a Hanukkah classic. If you're looking for inspiration before you light the candles tonight (or for every night, for that matter) this is the right video to see.
Based on this video's popularity, if these kids wanted to, they could ditch science, and start a pop group instead. They certainly have the followers.
4. Bubala Please – Hanukkah Episode
Bubala Please has become a staple in Jewish comedy; we've all kept up to speed with the antics of Jaquann and Luis, two menorah-lighting, latke-frying, dreidel-spinning homeboys who are introducing Jewish culture to the "streets." The two have covered a multitude of scenarios that pertain to the Jewish common man throughout their episode list, including Gangster Bris, Shabbat, Finding a Jewish Girl, making your own Haggadah, the list goes on and on. #NSFW
3. The Maccabeats – Candlelight
The Maccabeats are the most well-known and popular Jewish a cappella singers in recent time. Every song they've parodied has become a success, and they've been able to teach others about Jewish holidays and traditions thanks to their selection in pop music. "Candlelight" is probably their biggest smash ever; with close to nine million hits on YouTube, this cover of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" is the ultimate Hanukkah parody.
2. Nefesh B'Nefesh Hanukkah Flash Mob
One of the most inspirational flash mobs I've ever seen, Nefesh B'Nefesh, whose mission is to revitalize aliyah to Israel, brought over 150 participants together on Jerusalem's Ben Yehuda street to take part in this amazing flash dance. Set to "Hanukkah Hey Ya," a parody of the Andre 3000 smash hit, it's a dazzling display of workmanship, choreography, and Jewish tradition.
1. Adam Sandler – the Hanukkah Song
His may be the most prevalent, the most renown, the most deserving of them all.
Put on your yarmulkes, it's time.
With "The Hanukkah Song" Adam Sandler started a revolution of Jewish-inspired music and parodies.
It was at the forefront of 90s culture, in the midst of dozens of Christmas movies and holiday specials, when Sandler gave something to Jewish teens and pre-teens around the world: an anthem. A declaration that, contrary to Kyle Broflovski's "I'm A Lonely Jew on Christmas," declares that many of us out there, all you have to do is look.
Also, because we love Haim, and as Hanukkah seems to be a holiday for covers, here's their rendition of Sandler's classic:
Happy Hanukkah everybody!
Reprinted with permission from Shalom Life
