Happy Hanukkah to all DLers celebrating

And here's a second gift.

You need to click through to Gift #4 for the full effect.

Love joggers that taper on the bottom, homemade latkes that isn't greasy.

Happy Hanukkah! Tell me more interesting facts about this special holiday please..

I will make your Dreidel, OP. L'Chaim.

R3, it's really not that big in the Jewish religious calendar.

What R5 said.

It is a minor holiday and the Book Of Maccabees is in the Catholic bible but not the Jewish one--the holiday is mentioned in the Talmud, which is sort of a commentary on/supplement to the Old Testament.

The action in the story is similar to what was happening at the time of Jesus--Israel had been captured by a pagan invader and many of the Jews had assimilated and were worshiping pagan idols (in the case Greek.)

Teaching the Jewish religion was banned and so the Maccabee brothers, religious zealots/nationalists-- led a rebellion and actually did succeed in kicking out the Greeks.

There's a legend that when the retook the holy Temple in Jerusalem there was only enough oil to last one day and it would take 8 days to make new oil. Miraculously though, the oil lasted for 8 nights, hence the menorah, which in Israel and many modern US homes (mine growing up, for instance) is called a "hanukkiyah" (ha-NOO-kee-yah) to distinguish it from a more general "menorah" which can be any candelabra, not just a Hanukkah one.

Hanukkah was a minor holiday until the Reform movement decided it was a good way to get kids involved in services and made it a kids holiday.

As Christmas became more commercial, especially post-WW2, and as the Jewish community became more suburban and affluent, the holiday took on greater importance as sort of the Jewish counterpart to Christmas and families made a bigger deal of it with gifts and all that.

The Chabad movement won a series of court cases in the early 90s that forced municipalities that had nativity scenes to allow them to put up hanukkiyot and so it became even bigger.

According to my mother, the appearance of the Rugrats Hanukkah Special on Nickelodeon sometime in the early 90s, was a huge deal as it was the first kid-themed Hanukkah special on TV. (I was the target audience for the show and don't remember a time before it--we had it on VHS and I used to watch it all 8 nights. Or at least 6 of them, lol.)

As the American style celebration became a big deal, Jews in other countries--Canada, UK, Australia, Israel--got in on the action too and Hanukkah became a bigger deal internationally.

That's all I got.

Every year Jewish groups from hot to not offer parodies of popular themes. Here's the latest.

Aw thanks Milennial Friend, I'm from Ireland and never knew that much about it, apart from The Holiday Armadillo from Friends!

You are welcome R8

This sort of bluesy version from Marc Cohn ("Walking In Memphis") is one of the best versions of "Ma'oz Tsur" which is the traditional Hanukkah song (it's in English)

You may have seen the final lyrics elsewhere:

Children of the wanderers, whether free or fettered,

Wake the echoes of the song where you may be scattered.

Yours the message cheering

That the time is nearing

Which will see all men free

And tyrants disappearing.

And in a different vein, Adam Sandlers' Chanukah Song is probably the best known and still gets lots of radio play.

He has four versions out now, but this is the first.

Thank you for R8, YourMillenialFriend. You explained it in a fun, interesting, “folksy” way that didn’t bore me. Chag sameach, to you sir.

You are very welcome R11

And I'll throw this into the mix-- James Corden's "Boyz2Menorah" takeoff with Zach Braff , Josh Peck, Charlie Puth and Christopher Mintz-Plasse

DLEGs can find inspiration in Braff's still fit 44 year old body.

Happy Hanukkah to all DLers celebrating!

I cannot stand James Condom

I cannot stand R Fartteen