Jews have long been singing Hanukkah songs, including Hanukkah O Hanukkah, I Have a Little Dreidel, and Maoz Tzur. More recent additions to the Hanukkah song list are Tom Lehrer’s (I’m Spending) Hanukkah in Santa Monica, Peter, Paul and Mary’s Light One Candle, 8 Days (Of Hannukah) by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, and Eight Candles by Yo La Tengo. Daveed Diggs, who won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his Broadway performance as  Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette in Hamilton, wrote and recorded a Hanukkah song in 2020. Diggs was raised Jewish (his white mother is Jewish while his Black father is not). He was given his name because of the Hebrew pronunciation of David. Diggs recently played the part of Rabbi Marshall Zucker on the  Apple TV+ miniseries Extrapolations. What is the song he added to the canon of Hanukkah songs?

Portrait photoshoot at Worldcon 75, Helsinki, before the Hugo Awards by Henry Söderlund  is licensed under CC BY 4.0  via Wikimedia Commons

A. The song Dreidel Bird, which includes the lyrics “I have a little dreidel bird, dreidel bird/I don’t have to spin it/it’s a dreidel bird.”

B. The song Eight Nights A Week, which includes the lyrics “Hey, I know Hanukkah is the fun one/You got your dreidels, your latkes, and your songs/Unlike Yom Kippur, when you zip up your zipper in atonement from all you done wrong.”

C. The song How Do You Spell Channukkahh, which includes the lyrics “Is it with a C or H?/I am confused/What about those N’s and K’s,/Do you use one or two?”

D. The song Puppy for Hanukkah, which includes the lyrics “You’re everything I ever wanted for/You’re my puppy for Hanukkah/I’mma name you Monica/Nah, probably not, that’s a weird name for a dog.”

E. The song I Am Not Throwin’ Away My Lot, which includes the lyrics “I am not throwin’ away my lot/I am not throwin’ away my lot/Hey yo, I'm just like my Bubby/I'm young, scrappy and chubby/And I’m not throwin’ away my lot. Kuh.”

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There are 10 more shopping days until Hanukkah, with the first candle being lit on December 25 (followed by Chinese food!). Which of the following gifts, designed to be hung on the wall, are offered for sale at Overstock.com in their Hanukkah shopping section?

Overstock.com logo by overstock.com  is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons

A. A framed poster reading “happy challah days” and a wall hanging which reads “gelt digger”.

B. A wall hanging which reads “I LOVE YOU A LATKE” and a wall hanging which reads “chanukah oh hanukkah”.

C. A framed canvas depicting an African American family celebrating Kwanzaa as they gaze at the traditional kinara candelabra and Unity Cup.

D. A canvas wall art reading “dreidels spin, sleigh bells ring” and a canvas wall art reading “happy hanukkah/Festival of Lights/Potato Latkes & Applesauce/Shinning/Family & Friends/Spin the Dreidel/Nun Gimmel Hay Shin/May your days be as bright as the candles you light/Celebrate/Candle right with promise candles warm with love at Hanukkah”.

E. A framed print of the relief in Rome’s Arch of Titus depicting Roman troops carrying the Menorah which they seized when sacking the Temple in Jerusalem.

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law claiming that others were attempting to overthrow democracy. Chaos ensued with other lawmakers opposing the action, leading to a quick end to martial law followed by a failed attempt to impeach the president. The first Jews to settle in Korea included Jewish soldiers who fought there during the Korean War in the early 1950’s. A Chabad House was established in 2008, and a mikveh was opened in 2019. What book that is connected to Judaism or Israel is a best seller in South Korea?

Korea south map-pl by Kokiri  is  licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. The Talmud. South Koreans admire the Jewish people for their commitment to education, so they have taken to reading the Talmud for its lessons and inspiration.

B. Moshe Dayan: Story of My Life: An Autobiography. In 1962, South Korea and Israel established official diplomatic relations. Moshe Dayan served in the embassy in Seoul, and became somewhat of a cult hero as the Koreans admired him for his bravery and service, despite having lost an eye to a sniper while he served in the pre-state Haganah.

C. The BimBam Bibimbap Cook Book by Shifrah Devorah Witt and Zipporah Malka Heller, who had previously authored the highly successful The Complete Asian Kosher Cookbook. The book focuses on Korean foods with appropriate substitutes for non-kosher ingredients such as Korean pork belly and some Korean fish sauces that include non-kosher fishes.

D. The Book of Lights, by Chaim Potok. The book is about a rabbi who served in the United States military in Korea (based on Potok’s actual military service as a chaplain in South Korea).

E. Seder Kriah. This is a series of books designed to teach children how to read Hebrew (the title translates as The Order of Reading). A Korean guest at a Passover Seder at the Chabad House in Seoul loved the dinner and ceremony. He had heard the rabbi mention the book and thought he said Seder Korea, so he misinterpreted that it was a Passover Seder booklet designed for Korean people. He told all of his friends about it and it quickly became a best seller.

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President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports on his first day in office. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago last week for a meeting with Trump, hoping to dissuade him from this plan. Trudeau has been a supporter of the Canadian Jewish community and a strong voice against antisemitism, noting that “Antisemitism has no place in Canada—or anywhere else...we reaffirm our commitment to continue to take concrete action to combat antisemitism in all its forms.” He has also said that “Israel has the right to defend itself and its people.” Why did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issue an apology to the Canadian Jewish community in 2018?

Justin Trudeau - Icebreaker Collaboration Effort - 2024 by Adam Schultz / The White House  is  in the public domain  via Wikimedia Commons

A. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to Canada, a trip which included an official state dinner at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the governor general of Canada. Arrangements were made to kosher the kitchen for the meal, but at the end of the meal, in addition to the kosher apple pie dessert, Trudeau surprised his guests by presenting Tim Horton doughnuts. Trudeau did not realize that he was violating kosher laws by including this famous Canadian food product. The Prime Minister’s office issued a statement noting that “Tim Hortons products are the pride of all Canadians, and we love to show them off to our world visitors. Prime Minister Trudeau apologizes to Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and his entire delegation, as well as all Canadian Jews, for this inadvertent slip in disregarding the kosher issue when serving those treats.”

B. Following an antisemitic vandalism attack on a Toronto synagogue, Trudeau spoke on national television. He apologized to the Jewish community that such an incident could occur in Canada, and he decried the incident in the strongest terms. Trudeau stated that “I will never be silent in the face of hatred and intolerance, nor will our government. Diversity is our greatest strength, it enriches our lives, it strengthens our society, and it unites us as a country. It is our most cherished value.”

C. In 1939, the ocean liner St. Louis set sail from Hamburg, Germany to Havana, Cuba, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees attempting to escape Nazi Germany. The vessel was turned away by the Cuban government, and then it sailed to the United States, where it was also denied entry. An effort was then made to receive permission to sail to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King refused to provide sanctuary to the passengers, many of whom ultimately were killed when the St. Louis returned to Europe. Prime Minister Trudeau issued a statement saying that “the [Canadian] government chose to turn its back on these innocent victims of Hitler’s regime...We are sorry for the callousness of Canada’s response. And we are sorry for not apologizing sooner.”

D. When Trudeau paid a visit to New York, he ate breakfast with Mayor Bill de Blasio at Zabar’s, where they had lox and bagels. Trudeau remarked on how they were the best bagels he ever ate. This provoked a huge outcry from the Canadian Jewish community who consider Montreal-style bagels (typically smaller, denser, and sweeter) to be superior to New York bagels. Said Trudeau, “I truly misspoke and apologize to the Jewish community of Canada, whose bagel is a wonder of baking. I only meant that those were the best New York bagels I had ever eaten. And I welcome Mayor de Blasio on a future trip north to give a taste to our wonderful bagels.”

E. Prime Minister Trudeau attended a Passover seder at the Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto. When it was time to eat the maror, Trudeau pulled out a bottle of maple syrup and poured some on the bitter herbs. When asked what he was doing, Trudeau replied, “Maple syrup can make anything taste good.” He later apologized to Canadian Jews, saying “On all other nights I eat maple syrup. I promise that on next year’s seder night I’ll eat only matzah and bitters.”

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