Welcome and Happy Chanukah!
Last week we talked about some of our favorite Chanukah songs, and this week we wanted to highlight some of our favorite Chanukah movies and TV specials (which unfortunately are few and far between).
This wouldn’t be a collection of Chanukah specials if we didn’t mention the Rugrats Chanukah episode. Our favorite tots learn about the meaning of Chanukah from Tommy’s grandparents. But, of course, it wouldn’t be a Rugrats episode without some shenanigans.
Who could forget Ross’ Holiday Armadillo from FRIENDS? In this episode, Ross is distraught because his son has no connection with his Jewish heritage.
The Nanny is one of Marissa’s favorite shows. It was one of the first times she really saw Jewish characters on TV that she could relate to. Sure everything was over exaggerated and played heavily into stereotypes, but it was still fun to see characters you could relate to. Now with a show like this, there are of course mentions of Judaism and the holidays. Here is a clip from a Chanukah episode from one of the later seasons.
The Goldbergs is a recent show highlighting a Jewish family, based on the creator’s actual family. Every season they have a Chanukah special, something us Jews definitely aren’t used to. It was hard to pick just one episode (especially since a new one just came out) but here is a clip from Amanda’s favorite.
Disney Junior’s Elena of Avalor features Rebeca, the first official Jewish Disney princess, in one of their episodes. Not only is she Jewish, but she is Sephardic. We don’t see a lot of Jewish representation in the media, and even less Sephardic representation. Here is a song Rebeca sings showcasing her family’s Chanukah traditions.
We can’t talk about Chanukah movies without mentioning Adam Sandler’s 8 Crazy Nights. Just a forewarning, this movie might not be the best for children to watch by themselves. It is very much a 2002 Adam Sandler movie with 2002 Adam Sandler humor.
Full-Court Miracle is a Disney Channel original movie from 2003 that tells the true story of a Jewish boys’ basketball team. It’s just a heartwarming feel-good movie with a Chanukah miracle.
According to Marissa, the Arthur holiday special “Arthur’s Perfect Christmas” is severely underrated. She has it on VHS and watched it a lot as a kid. The special explores the holiday traditions of the main cast of characters as they celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Chanukah. In this scene, Francine explains to Muffy why Chanukah is important to her and her family.
We hope you all are having a nice and meaningful Chanukah. We know things are different this year, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We hope these posts of our favorite Chanukah specials, movies, and songs bring you joy.
Love,
Amanda & Marissa
