Hanukkah Video Round-Up: Which is Your Favorite?

December 15, 2014Kate Bigam Kaput

It's that time of year again: Hanukkah parody video season! We've rounded up some of our favorites, and we want to hear from you: Which Hanukkah song is really spinning your dreidel this year? Have we missed any good ones? Leave us a comment and let us know!

  1. Adam Karol, former staffer of the Union for Reform Judaism and son of a Reform rabbi, recorded a Hanukkah video with his band, Adam Karol & The Hotness, set to the tune of Taylor Swift's hit single, "Shake It Off." Extra points given for somehow rhyming "sufganiyot" (jelly doughnuts) with "miracle."

     
  2. It's a battle of the former URJ staffers singing "Shake It Off" parodies! Another former URJ staffer, Mike Boxer, recorded a Hanukkah spin on the Taylor Swift song with Jewish a cappella group Six13. You may remember this six-man musical group from one of their other popular holiday parody videos: "Chozen (A Passover Tribute)."

     
  3. So much Taylor Swift! A group that calls themselves "Vodkas and Latkes" also recorded a Hanukkah version of "Shake It Off," which involves a lot of funny dancing and ridiculous costumes. We're fond of the rap verse, "You could’ve been getting gifts for eight... whole... nights!"

     
  4. Another popular Jewish a cappella group, The Maccabeats, just released their new Hanukkah song, set to the tune of Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass." Their version is called "All About That Neis." Neis means "miracle," and this light-hearted song focuses on the values of Hanukkah rather than the fried foods and spinning tops.

     
  5. It looks like a cappella groups have a lock on Hanukkah parodies this year. The Jabberwocks, Brown University's premiere musical group, recorded "Chanukah Lights," a play on Kanye West's "All of the Lights" - in what we bet is Kanye's first time being Hanukkah-parodied! Brown junior Marli Scharlin, who produced the video, is a former camper at URJ Eisner Camp, a Reform Jewish summer camp in Great Barrington, MA.

     
  6. Even celebrities are getting into Hanukkah music! This one from late-night host Jimmy Fallon isn't exactly a parody video, but it sure is funny. (We'd like to note, though, that a few of these imaginary song lyrics are better suited to Passover than to Hanukkah...)

Looking for more great Hanukkah music? Check out this list of "11 Great, Modern Hanukkah Songs," or turn on Jewish Rock Radio to find your newest holiday favorite!

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