Hanukkah Song Analysis

As a younger child, I felt like being Jewish was nothing out of the ordinary. I attended a Jewish preschool and grew up in a fairly Jewish area where the people around me were familiar with Jewish customs and traditions, even if they, themselves were not Jewish. For the most part, wherever there were Christmas decorations on display, there were Hanukkah decorations as well. As I have gotten older, I have come to understand that it is not unusual for Jewish children to feel alienated during the holiday season for not celebrating Christmas, and I too have come to experience the same alienation. Starting in September, stores are flooded with all things Christmas. All clothes look as if they are meant for Christmas celebrations. Companies release their Christmas lines and finding anything that does not resemble Christmas becomes a challenge. There are rarely any shows or songs aimed for Jewish audiences, and if there are, it is rare to find

When I first heard Adam Sandler’s song, I was about nine years old listening to the music on my new iPod Nano. Initially, the song had little to no significance to me. I was barely familiar with any of the names mentioned in the song lyrics, and I was still living in my little bubble where it seemed that everyone knew about Hanukkah. However, as I grew older and developed a deeper connection to my Jewish roots, the song began to have more significance to me. Not only is it a catchy song, but it serves as a reminder that Jews play an influential and prominent role in a culture made up of many non-Jews. The song is also a rare instance of Jews being mentioned in American pop culture in a positive light. Although the song makes references to Jewish activities such as lighting the menorah and playing dreidel, none of his comments portray Jews as greedy, unattractive, or unlikable- all of which seem to be defining traits of Jewish characters in American pop