A Hanukkah film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Films in this style may incorporate the religious aspects of Hanukkah, such as lighting the menorah or the story of the Maccabees, along with cultural aspects of Hanukkah, such as spinning dreidels, or eating traditional foods such as latkes, sufganiyot, or gelt.
The Hanukkah film genre, such as it exists, is a reflection of the prevalence of Christmas films, as the two holidays are celebrated during a similar time of year. The most well known films of the genre tend to feature Christmas themed iconography and themes, and are often marketed to Christian audiences to be watched as a Christmas movie. This can be evidenced by the movie poster for Eight Crazy Nights which prominently features a Christmas tree, a reindeer, red and green Christmas lights and the tag line "The ultimate battle between naughty and nice", a reference to Santa's list.
Hanukkah has historically been more commonly portrayed in television, than in film, due to the relative lower financial risk and cost of production as compared to a feature film and minor importance of Hanukkah as a Jewish holiday. [1]
Some notable examples of films in this genre, as well as films featuring Hanukkah, are listed as follows.
An American Tail is a 1986 American animated musical comedy-drama adventure film directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Inc. and Amblin Entertainment. [2] The film opens as the family is celebrating Hanukkah in Shostka, Ukraine in 1885, the Mousekewitzes, a Russian-Jewish family of mice who live with a human family named Moskowitz, are celebrating the holiday and Papa gives his hat to his 5-year-old son, Fievel, and tells him about the United States, a country where there are no cats. The celebration is interrupted when a battery of Cossacks ride through the village square in an anti-Jewish arson attack and their cats likewise attack the village mice. Because of this, the Moskowitz home, along with that of the Mousekewitzes, is destroyed, and the film tells the story of Fievel Mousekewitz and his family as they emigrate from the Imperial Russian territory of Ukraine to the United States for freedom. However, he gets lost and must find a way to reunite with them. [3]
The Real Shlemiel, also Aaron's Magic Village (German : Die Schelme von Schelm) is a 1995 European-Israeli adventure-fantasy film. It was released in Germany and in the United States in 1997. The story takes place during Hanukkah and the celebration of Hanukkah is a central plot point of the film. [4] The film is based on Stories for Children by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
The film's plot focuses on Aaron, a new arrival to the Polish village of Chelm, and his uncle Shlemiel. An evil sorcerer, Darko, steals from Chelm the magical "Book of Marvels" so that he can create a golem to destroy Chelm. It is up to Aaron and Shlemiel to save the day.
Eight Crazy Nights is a 2002 American adult animated musical comedy-drama Hanukkah film directed by Seth Kearsley and produced, co-written by and starring Adam Sandler, in his first voice-acting role. The film is animated in the style of television holiday specials, and, unlike most mainstream holiday films, centers on Jewish characters during the Hanukkah season, as opposed to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
This is also Happy Madison Productions' first animated film. The film's title is taken from a line in Sandler's series of songs called "The Chanukah Song" that compares the gift-giving traditions of Christmas and Chanukah: "Instead of one day of presents, we get eight crazy nights!". Additionally, a new version of The Chanukah Song was played over the film's closing credits. It has been called the best known Hanukkah film. [5]
The Hebrew Hammer is a 2003 American comedy Hanukkah film written and directed by Jonathan Kesselman. It stars Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles, and Peter Coyote. The plot concerns a Jewish blaxploitation crime fighter known as the Hebrew Hammer who must save Hanukkah from the evil son of Santa Claus, who wants to destroy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and make everyone celebrate Christmas.
Full-Court Miracle is a 2003 Disney Channel Original Hanukkah Movie. It premiered on November 21, 2003. Inspired by the true story of University of Virginia Cavaliers basketball star Lamont Carr, the film centers on a group of young Jewish basketball players during the Hanukkah season who are determined to find their own Judah Macabee to coach their team and help their team out of a slump. The main character Alex Schlotsky is inspired by the true story of Chad Korpeck and Alex Barbag. The film makes numerous references to the miracle of the oil, with the school's electricity staying on even though it was being powered by a gas generator with only enough fuel for one hour instead of the eight hours the game lasted. The film concludes with Rabbi Lewis (a fictional character in the film) telling the story of Hanukkah and its relation to the basketball game plays over the scene. [6]
Call Me by Your Name (Italian: Chiamami col tuo nome) is a 2017 coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino. Its screenplay, by James Ivory, who also co-produced, is based on the 2007 eponymous novel by André Aciman. The film is the final installment in Guadagnino's thematic "Desire" trilogy, after I Am Love (2009), and A Bigger Splash (2015). Set in 1983 in northern Italy, Call Me by Your Name chronicles the romantic relationship between a 17-year-old, Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), and Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old graduate-student assistant to Elio's father Samuel (Michael Stuhlbarg), an archaeology professor. The two develop a rapport and bond over music, their shared Jewish identities, and their attraction to each other. What lands this romantic coming-of-age flick on this list is the film's epilogue. Months after the intense romance has blossomed and run its course, Elio receives a phone call from Oliver, where he announces to Elio's family that he has just gotten engaged. Still harboring passionate feelings for Oliver, Elio walks into the dining room and stares at the roaring fire in the fireplace as his parents set the table for their dinner on the last night of Hanukkah. The film also stars actresses Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, and Victoire Du Bois.
Hanukkah is a 2019 horror film written and directed by Eben McGarr. Father and son serial killers (played by Sid Haig as Judah Lazarus and Joe Knetter as Obediah Lazarus) who believe God has sent them the commandment to kill anyone who would harm Jews or Jews whom fail to properly practice their faith. Horrifyingly, after the psychotic killer hunts and kills his victim, he leaves behind a Star of David inscription in the body of his dead victims. The killer lights another candle in the menorah for each kill he makes in this "Festival of Frights". The film is one of the few Jewish horror films and is probably the first Hanukkah horror film, making it a notable entry in the horror genre.
Love, Lights, Hanukkah! is a 2020 Hallmark romantic comedy directed by Mark Jean and written by Karen Berger. Christina Rossi (played by Mia Kirshner) takes a DNA test that reveals that she is unexpectedly 50% Jewish. Eager to learn about her Jewish culture, Christina meets her birth mother Ruth Berman (played by Marilu Henner) and discovers the joys of latkes, menorahs, and kugel and an unexpected romance with David Singer (played by Ben Savage). The film was acknowledged by Insider as Hallmark's first genuine Hanukkah film.
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.
"The Chanukah Song" is a novelty song written by comedian Adam Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham and originally performed by Sandler on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler subsequently performed the song as part of his stand-up act, later updating it with new lyrics. All variations center on the theme of Hanukkah and of religious Jewish children feeling alienated during the Christmas season, and Sandler's listing of Jewish celebrities as a way of sympathizing with their situation.
Eight Crazy Nights, also known as Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights, is a 2002 American adult animated Hanukkah musical comedy-drama film directed by Seth Kearsley, written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, Brooks Arthur, and Brad Issacs, and produced by Sandler, Covert, and Jack Giarraputo. It stars Sandler in his first voice-acting role, alongside future wife Jackie Titone, Austin Stout, Rob Schneider, Kevin Nealon, Norm Crosby, and Jon Lovitz. The film is animated in the style of television holiday specials and, unlike most mainstream holiday films, centers on Jewish characters and the holiday of Hanukkah, as opposed to the Christian celebration of Christmas.
An American Tail is a 1986 American animated musical adventure comedy-drama film directed by Don Bluth and written by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss from a story by David Kirschner, Freudberg and Geiss. The film stars the voices of Phillip Glasser, John Finnegan, Amy Green, Nehemiah Persoff, Dom DeLuise, and Christopher Plummer. It is the story of Fievel Mousekewitz and his family as they emigrate from Russia to the United States for freedom, but Fievel gets lost and must find a way to reunite with them.
A Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, is a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Eight of the nine branches hold lights that symbolize the eight nights of the holiday; on each night, one more light is lit than the previous night, until on the final night all eight branches are ignited. The ninth branch holds a candle, called the shamash, which is used to light the other eight.
Holiday stamps are a type of postage stamp issued to commemorate a particular religious festival or holiday.
Hanukkah music contains several songs associated with the festival of Hanukkah.
The Real Shlemiel, also Aaron's Magic Village is a 1995 French-German-Israeli-Hungarian adventure-fantasy film. It was released in Germany and in the United States in 1997. The film is based on Stories for Children by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story is a children's book written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Lisa Brown. An irate latke at Hanukkah escapes from being cooked in a hot frying pan. He runs into various Christmas symbols who are all ignorant and uneducated about the customs of Hanukkah. The latke attempts to educate these characters about the history and culture surrounding the Jewish holiday, but his attempts are always in vain and he runs away from each encounter in a fit of frustration.
A Hanukkah stamp is a holiday stamp issued to commemorate Hanukkah. Since 1996, several Hanukkah-themed postage stamps have been issued, often jointly.
"A Rugrats Chanukah" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series Rugrats. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on December 4, 1996. The special tells the story of the Jewish holiday Chanukah through the eyes of the Rugrats, who imagine themselves as the main characters. Meanwhile, Grandpa Boris and his long-time rival, Shlomo, feud over who will play the lead in the local synagogue's Chanukah play. While many American children's television programs have Christmas specials, "A Rugrats Chanukah" is one of the first Chanukah specials of an American children's television series.
A public menorah is a large menorah displayed publicly during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. It is done to celebrate the holiday and publicize the miracle of Hanukkah, and is typically accompanied by a public event during one of the nights of Hanukkah attended by invited dignitaries who are honored with lighting the menorah.
The animated television series Rugrats has been noted for its portrayal of Judaism, a dynamic rarely represented in American animated programming during the series' broadcast run (1991–2004). Six episodes of the series are devoted to Jewish holidays and to explaining their history, and the Pickles family is shown to be part-Jewish.
The White House Hanukkah Party is an annual reception held at the White House and hosted by the U.S. President and First Lady to recognize and celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The tradition was established in 2001, during the administration of George W. Bush. The guest list includes hundreds of American Jewish politicians, organization heads, and school and yeshiva deans.
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday.
A Hanukkah bush is a bush or tree—real or artificial—that some Jewish families in North America display in their homes for the duration of Hanukkah. It may, for all intents and purposes, be a Christmas tree with Jewish-themed ornaments. It is associated with Chrismukkah.
Thanksgivukkah is a holiday name portmanteau neologism given to the convergence of the American holiday of Thanksgiving and the first day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah on Thursday, November 28, 2013. It was the result of a rare coincidence between the lunisolar Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar. Because the calendars are not calculated the same way, Hanukkah appears from year to year on different dates on the Gregorian calendar, ranging from late November to early January.
Miracle of the cruse of oil, or the Miracle of Hanukkah, is an Aggadah depicted in the Babylonian Talmud as one of the reasons for Hanukkah. In the story, the miracle occurred after the liberation of the Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt, and it describes the finding of a jug of pure oil that was to be enough to light the lamp for one day, but that lasted for eight days.
Hanukkah in television, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, is represented and referenced to in a number of television series of various genres such as comedy, sitcom, drama, documentary, animated, children's, competitive, talk and reality television, among others. Through a number of cultural references, tropes, and plot devices. Hanukkah has been referenced in many different American television series, as well as Israeli, British television, Canadian, and French television, among others.
Throughout the history of Christianity, Jewish peoples have been historically religious minorities in countries that were majority or even officially Christian. Over time, a unique relationship evolved between the Jews and the major Christian holiday of Christmas, including the creation of separate traditions and the intersection of Hanukkah and Christmas, among other convergences. Some practices perpetuate out of a feeling of otherness, while others are merely lighthearted activities that are accessible when shops are closed around Christmastime.