The Best Hanukkah Videos of 2018

The number of Hanukkah music videos has really gone down the past few years. There was a time when I would come up with a list of at least a dozen fun and creative Hanukkah videos. This year, there are really only two that are worth mentioning. Six13, the Jewish a capella group from New York clearly has this year's best video for Hanukkah... and maybe the best one for the entire decade. With the recent success of the biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, Six13 was very smart to use Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody for their Hanukkah video this year. Of course, The Maccabeats produced another great video this year for Hanukkah, which is more of a mishmash of different type of music. Happy Hanukkah everyone!


Six13 - Bohemian Chanukah (a Queen adaptation)

The Maccabeats - I Have a Little Dreidel - Hanukkah

Rusted Root's Michael Glabicki Comes to Detroit

When the Detroit Jewish News asked me if I'd be interested in interviewing Rusted Root's Michael Glabicki for an article to promote his appearance at a music festival hosted at the Jewish Community Center, I immediately agreed. Rusted Root has been one of my favorite musical groups for decades so I wasn't going to turn down this opportunity. What was confusing to me was why Glabicki, who is not Jewish, was invited to perform at this Jewish festival. I knew there was a connection to Judaism with Rusted Root because I had previously written that former band member Liz Berlin's father is a cantor who studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary, while I was studying there in the rabbinical school. However, I couldn't figure out the connection to Judaism for Glabicki.

Turns out that the festival organizers either thought Glabicki was Jewish or they just thought his music had a Jewish feel to it. Whatever the case, it was a lot of fun talking with him about Rusted Root's music, his ongoing tour with Uprooted, his musical influences, spirituality, depression and what to expect when Uprooted comes to the JCC Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Music Festival at the Berman Theater for Performing Arts (located at the Metro Detroit JCC) this Sunday evening.

I first met Glabicki and the other members of Rusted Root following a small show in Las Vegas almost 13 years ago and was impressed with how generous they were with their time to their fans. He was even more generous with his time for this interview and I'm grateful. You'll be able to listen to my interview with Michael Glabicki on the Pop Jewish Podcast soon, but in the meantime, here's my interview that was published in the Detroit Jewish News.


Rusted Root Front Man Comes to The Berman 
By Rabbi Jason Miller

The JCC Ethan & Gretchen Davidson Music Festival returns for its second year at The Berman and this year’s lineup is better than last year’s. This festival is an innovative approach to arts and music festivals showcasing three artists for three nights of extraordinary music. Project Trio will perform on May 24 and Marc Cohn, well-known for his hit “Walking in Memphis” will perform on May 26. Rusted Root’s Michael Glabicki will bring his solo project, Uprooted, to the festival on May 27. 

Glabicki is the founder and lead singer of the multi-platinum band Rusted Root, who formed almost thirty years ago, and has collaborated with the likes of Santana, the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin. He promises to carry on playing Rusted Root’s entire catalog of music on tour with re-inspired versions, as well as continuing to bring new and exciting music under the new name of Uprooted, his new touring band.



Rabbi Jason Miller: Tell me a little bit about Uprooted and the inspiration behind it.

Michael Glabicki: Uprooted came about because I was doing a lot of writing and getting into different writing techniques. I’ve really come up with a lot of different sounds, grooves and ways of laying out the different lyrics and vocals of the songs. It’s a really explosive and prolific time for me to be putting this all together. I just kind of felt like it was taking a trajectory that was off the Rusted Root path. So, I decided to get this new band, Uprooted, to put the mechanics behind what I need for the music.

Rusted Root's Michael Glabicki with Rabbi Jason Miller in 2005

RJM: What can we expect when you bring Uprooted to the Davidson Musical Festival?

MG: Some of the artists were in the Rusted Root touring band so I’ve worked with them in different ways. We’re a very intuitive band. There’s a lot of chemistry when I’m in the room with them so it just very easily flows. What I’m trying to do is create a safe environment where whatever happens happens, meaning that we can come in one day and play something completely different than what we did the previous day. It really comes down to just living in the moment where whatever we feel like that day is what is going to inspire the arrangement of the songs. So, when we get on stage we’re just going to really be who we are and it’s going to be a big surprise to us.



RJM: I know that Liz Berlin (member of Rusted Root) is Jewish and her father, Cantor Rick Berlin, was at the Jewish Theological Seminary’s cantorial school while I was studying there in the rabbinical school. Do you personally have any connection to Judaism?

MG: My sister converted to Judaism about five years ago. She married a Jewish guy, so I’ve been to some of the ceremonies. I love it and I think it’s a great community kind of feel. I was at their daughter’s bat mitzvah and it was beautiful.

Michael Glabicki and Dirk Miller of Uprooted

RJM: Your music incorporates so many diverse styles. Who are your influences?

MG: Probably the earliest one would be Cat Stevens. When I was six years old, I’d listen to the 8-track of The Greatest Hits of Cat Stevens that my parents had. I’d just sit down under the dining room table and just experience his songwriting. I think the acoustic aspect of what he was doing probably touched me at an early age. That’s what drove me to play Rusted Root music on an acoustic guitar at first. In my first year of college I dropped out because I had depression, but songwriting helped me to feel a whole lot better. That’s when I decided to become a songwriter.



RJM: Talk to me about your love of instruments. I know you play the penny whistle and some other unusual instruments.

MG: When I was figuring out the vision for the band when I dropped out of college, I spent a good two years figuring out what I wanted the landscape of the music to be. I was on electric guitar at the time and that was my world. During that time period, I was thinking, “what am I missing here… what would fill out the music?” How could I bring the colors in that were needed? When I heard John Buynak, who had a lot of really cute instruments that were really spontaneous and full of laughter, I think that’s when it clicked. When I heard him play the penny whistles and the flutes, I was like, “okay, that’s it.”


RJM: Through Rusted Root, you’ve collaborated with some amazing musicians over the years. Who do you dream of collaborating with in the future?

MG: It’s not really something I think about. Playing with Santana was something magical, but I just pray that somebody’s going to come soon because I feel like I want to but I don’t ever want to force it.

Debbie Friedman and the Healing Power of Music

On Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page this past September, the Facebook founder and CEO posted that he was "celebrating Rosh Hashanah." In his Facebook post, Zuckerberg offered the following blessing to his millions of followers:

I want to wish L'Shana Tova to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah -- the Jewish new year and a moment to reflect on our limited time here so we may live more meaningfully. My favorite Jewish prayer is called Mi Shebeirach. It has a line that has always touched me and that I reflect on when I face challenges: "Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing." I hope you all have a wonderful year ahead and that you find the courage to make a positive and meaningful change in the world this year.

There was something beautiful about Zuckerberg's Rosh Hashanah greeting, but I also took notice that his favorite Jewish prayer is called "Mi Shebeirach." There are actually several Mi Shebeirach prayers, but of course the one Zuckerberg was referencing is the popular prayer for healing. Thirty years ago, when Zuckerberg was a year old, it would be unlikely for someone to cite the prayer for healing as ones favorite prayer. The reason that Zuckerberg, like so many others, considers the "Mi Shebeirach" as their favorite prayer is thanks to one woman.

This past Shabbat marked five years since the well known singer/songwriter Debbie Friedman passed away following a long battle with cancer. Her contributions to Jewish prayer and spirituality have endured since her passing and whenever I hear someone mention the Mi Sheberach for healing, as Zuckerberg did, I'll think of Debbie Friedman and her beautiful rendition of this prayer that brought it to the level of mass appeal.

A couple weeks from now we will observe Shabbat Shira when we chant the Song of the Sea from Chapter 15 of Exodus. It is an appropriate time to reflect on both the power of music in prayer and on Debbie Friedman's immense contributions to synagogue spirituality through her powerful music.

Best Hanukkah Videos for 2014

Each year I put together a list of the best Hanukkah videos for the year and this year I've really narrowed the list to only the best of the best. What makes a great Hanukkah video? Is it the music? Is it the quality of the video? Both?

The best Hanukkah videos are usually song parodies of currently popular songs, but just because you come up with the idea for a Hanukkah song parody changing Ariana Grande's "Love Me Harder" to a song about a Hanukkah menorah called "Light Me Longer" doesn't mean you can write the lyrics, sing it well, and produce a video that will garner a million views on YouTube. Some of these videos aren't song parodies about Hanukkah, but original songs or mashups of several Hanukkah songs. So here are the best new Hanukkah videos for this year (and scroll to the bottom for a surprise from one of my favorite comedians, JB Smoove):

Eric Schwartz (Smooth E) - 8 Hanukkah Song Parodies

Six13 - Chanukah - Shake It Off (Taylor Swift)

Maccabeats - All About That Neis (All About that Bass by Meghan Trainor)

Hanukkah Song Mashup - Elliot Dvorin and Key Tov Orchestra

Ari Goldwag - Chanukah Light

Dreidel (a capella) - Shir Soul

Lights featuring Shtar (by Brian K. Spector)

Shake It Off Hanukkah Edition - Adam Karol (Taylor Swift)

Glee - Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah

And here's the bonus Hanukkah video from the very funny JB Smoove, who has a wonderful performance in Chris Rock's new movie "Top Five," which I think will be one of the year's best movies. It turns out that Larry David's friend JB Smoove, who wished me "Shabbat Shalom" last year, has some questions about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah:



Happy Hanukkah everyone!

Top Purim Videos for 2014

Purim is here! In preparing for my annual rundown of the top videos for Purim this year a few thoughts emerged: First, nothing really impressed me this year. Second, there wasn't a lot of creativity (did a memo go out limiting people to only use Pharrell Williams' song "Happy" and "Let It Go" -- the theme from the movie Frozen?). Third, where's this year's contribution from the Maccabeats? Maybe they're too busy touring around the world and appearing on TV with Katie Couric?

I'm hopeful that the creative geniuses out there will get working on next year's Purim spoofs and parodies and come up with some fun videos that are more creative than the t-shirt above. It's actually easier for me to choose the best Purim videos when there's more to choose from. While it was slim pickens this year, there are some fun ones below. So Happy Purim... and here are 2014's top Purim videos:

HAPPY Purim (by Pharrell)



The Haman Remembrance - Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan



Megillas Lester Official Trailer



Kinderlach - Purim Chagiga



Miracle - Gad Elbaz and Naftali Kalfa featuring Ari Lesser



"What Does Haman Say" by A.K.A. Pella



Star Wars Lego Movie Purim Trailer



Let it Go Frozen - It's a Purim Song



Michelle Citrin - Shake Your Grogger (A Purim Song)



Bob Dylan Purim Shpiel (Robert Zimmerman)



What Does Purim Say? (What Does the Fox Say?)



Everything Is Purim (from the Lego Movie)

Drake's Bar Mitzvah on Saturday Night Live (SNL)

Yesterday morning in synagogues throughout the world the Jewish people read the portion of the Torah called Yitro. Named for the Medianite priest who became father-in-law to Moses, Yitro (or Jethro) was also a trusted adviser to the Israelite leader. While it doesn't mention this in the Torah, it is possible that Yitro had black skin which likely meant that Moses was married to a Black woman thereby making them the first bi-racial marriage in the Torah. Today, the most famous rapper with bi-racial Jewish-Black heritage is Drake, who has a White Jewish mother and a Black father.

Last night Drake hosted the year's first Saturday Night Live show and Jewish and Black stereotypes were getting tossed a mile a minute during his opening monologue. The famous rapper opened the show by explaining that he's from Canada, was in the TV show Degrassi Junior High, and that his mother is Jewish and his father is Black.

Gibson Guitars Gives Dave Schneider Hanukkah Gift

Cross-posted to The Huffington Post

Stories of airlines damaging travelers’ baggage are about as common as delayed flights these days, but a particularly dreadful mishap occurred recently. Dave Schneider, the lead guitarist of a Jewish band called the Leevees (with Guster’s Adam Gardner) that produces only Hanukkah-themed songs, was traveling on a flight from Buffalo to Detroit. The Delta flight went fine without any problems, but it was after landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport that the nightmare began.

Schneider, who also is the lead singer of the Zambonis, a band that only play songs about hockey, was told by Delta Airlines that he would have to check his vintage 1963 Gibson ES-335 TD guitar rather than carrying it on the flight with him. He even offered to purchase a seat on the plane for the guitar, but Delta refused. Upon landing in Detroit Schneider shot video footage from his cellphone of the baggage handlers moving his guitar off the plane, but there was no damage then. It was only later that he was informed that his cherished guitar was crushed between a service elevator and a loading dock at the gate in Detroit. Delta authorities quickly offered Schneider $1,000 for his vintage guitar, which was likely worth close to $10,000. Of course he declined Delta’s offer as inadequate. Even to repair the classic guitar would have cost more than Delta’s measly offering.

This isn’t the first time an airline has damaged a musician’s vintage guitar. A few years ago United Airlines broke Dave Carroll’s Taylor Guitar. Carroll famously wrote a song attacking United Airlines, which became a YouTube hit, and then subsequently penned a book about the power of social media and customer service. Schneider didn’t write any songs about Delta, but he did fill out the claim forms for damaged property after declining that $1,000 check from Delta. He never received a response. His two emails to Delta chief executive Richard Anderson were never answered. Schneider, under the pseudonym Dave Leevee, used that vintage guitar to play such Jewish holiday classics as “Latke Clan,” “How Do You Spell Channukkahh?” and “Goyim Friends.” Without the guitar, Schneider lost his mojo.

The crushed Gibson guitar belonging to Dave Schneider of the Leevees and Zambonis

And that’s when Gibson, the global musical and lifestyle-oriented company based in Nashville stepped forward to present the musician who sings about Hanukkah with a belated Hanukkah present. Schneider picked up his replacement guitar in New York last week from Gibson CEO and technology visionary Henry Juszkiewicz. “At Gibson we’re committed to music and those who love and appreciate their instruments,” Juszkiewicz said. “For musicians like Dave, instruments are practically members of their family. It was only right to replace his guitar."

Schneider will be able to continue playing guitar and singing about Hanukkah and hockey thanks to Gibson’s generous gift. Where Delta left Schneider kvetching, Gibson left him kvelling. As far as air travel goes, it’s questionable if Dave Schneider will ever fly Delta again. If he does, you can bet he’ll likely send his guitar ahead of time on a different airline.

Best Hanukkah Videos of 2012

Hanukkah, Hanukah or Chanukkah... no matter how you spell it there's one thing you can be certain of when Hanukkah arrives and that is that there will be no shortage of fun Hanukkah videos on YouTube. Since posting my list of the top Hanukkah videos the past couple years I now receive dozens of videos to include in my list. I'm sure I'm leaving out some great ones, but these are what I consider to be the best Hanukkah videos of 2012.

Oh, and special thanks to the indie band "fun." for releasing the song "Some Nights" this year. As you can see from several of the videos below, it was an obvious song to parody y.for Hanukkah. And yes, the band's guitarist/vocalist Jack Antonoff is Jewish and attended Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County, New Jersey (he also dated Scarlett Johansson in high school). Enjoy!

Stand Four - 8 Nights




Pella Productions - 8 Nights Of Hanukkah A Capella Mashup




Maccabeats - Shine




Matisyahu Sings "Happy Hanukkah" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno




The Best Dreidel Songs (Including a Version by Jimmy Fallon and Rashida Jones)


Shirat Machar (Marom) - Eight Nights the Miracle of Light




Technion - Rube Goldberg Machine Lights Menorah




Aish - Racing Home: A Hanukkah Surprise




Michelle Citrin - Hanukkah Lovin'




Bubala Please - Making Latkes (Warning: Strong Language)




(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To DREIDEL)