Author: Bob EtierMama Doni celebrates Chanukah with a CD that looks like a nice big
piece of Chanukah gelt, crammed with rocking holiday tunes that range
from disco to country to rock to ethnic to big band to funk,
Chanukah Fever.
Lyrics that share Chanukah tradition are set to irresistibly animated
music. Even the rhythmically-challenged will find themselves rockin’
around the Chanukah bush.
When I left the North eleven years ago, I had no idea that I would
end up in the mountains of North Carolina where latkes, blintzes, and
pierogi can’t be found. Mama Doni knows that latkes are something to
sing about (“Latke Man,” “The Legend of Sour Cream vs. Applesauce”); she
makes me homesick for the great ethnic foods left behind. And glorious
latkes aren’t the only food that Mama Doni celebrates—sufganiyot is
saluted in “A Land Called Sufganiyot” where it’s Chanukah every day, and
“Honey, This Ain’t Money!” sings the praises of gelt.
Other songs hail bubbies, dreidels, Ma-oz Tzur, and menorahs, and
teach a little Yiddish along with the difference between saying
“Hanukkah” and “Chanukah.” It’s a bundle of fun, totally respectful, and
absolutely Jewish—ideal for honoring both Chanukah and heritage.
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