“When I was a kid, this time of year always made me feel left out, because in school, there were so many Christmas songs and all us Jewish kids had was a song ‘Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel”” said Adam Sandler before breaking in a new holiday song during the December 3, 1994 Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live with anchor Norm McDonald. “So, I wrote a new Hanukkah song for all you Jewish kids to sing,” added Sandler, “and I hope you like it.”
After the popularity of his previous holiday hit on SNL, “The Thanksgiving Song,” two years earlier, Sandler’s “The Chanukah Song” was a more personal ditty, a comical introduction to the fun-ukah festival of lights.
Put on your yarmulke
Here comes Chanukah
So much fun-ukah
To celebrate Chanukah
Chanukah is the festival of lights
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights
When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree
Here’s a list of people who are Jewish just like you and me
In Sandler fashion, further into “The Chanukah Song” are pop culture references to famous Jewish artists, including Henry Winkler, Star Trek legends Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, David Lee Roth, and other half-Jew icons.
David Lee Roth lights the menorah
So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah
Guess who eats together at the Carnegie Deli
Bowzer from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzarelli
Paul Newman’s half Jewish, Goldie Hawn’s half too
Put them together, what a fine lookin’ Jew
You don’t need “Deck The Halls” or “Jingle Bell Rock”
‘Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, both Jewish
Videos by American Songwriter
Put on your yarmulke
It’s time for Chanukah
The owner of the Seattle Supersonic-ahs
Celebrates Chanukah
O.J. Simpson, not a Jew
But guess who is? Hall of Famer Rod Carew, he converted
We got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby
Harrison Ford’s a quarter Jewish, not too shabby
Some people think that Ebenezer Scrooge is
Well he’s not, but guess who is, all Three Stooges
So many Jews are in showbiz
Tom Cruise isn’t, but I heard his agent is
Sandler later learned that he was off by a quarter with Harrison Ford, who is actually half Jewish. “I remember when I met Harrison Ford,” recalled Sandler during a 2022 appearance. “He goes: ‘Half!’”
By its end are calls for a harmonica, drinking gin and tonic-ah, and smoking marijuana-kah before a more heartfelt holiday wish: Have a happy, happy, happy, happy Chanukah / Happy Chanukah.
“I am so proud of that song,” added Sandler. “I love it.”
1999: “The Chanukah Song, Part II”
Sandler released a second version of “The Chanukah Song” in 1999. Released on his album Stan and Judy’s Kid, “The Chanukah Song, Part II,” opens with the same two verses but introduces some new famous Jews, including Bob Dylan, Winona Ryder, Flashdance star Jennifer Beals, the Beastie Boys, and Harvey Keitel, among other half-Jew icons like Lenny Kravitz and Courtney Love.
Winona Ryder drinks Manischewitz wine
Then spins a Dreidle with Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein
Guess who gives and receives loads of Chanukah toys
The girls from Veruca Salt and all three Beastie Boys
Lenny Kravitz is half Jewish, Courtney Love is half too
Put them together, what a funky badass Jew
We got Harvey Keitel and flash dancer Jennifer Beals
Yasmine Bleeth from Baywatch is Jewish, and yes her boobs are real
The second chorus also gives a shout out to two-time Oscar-winning Dustin Hoffman-aka.
O.J. Simpson, still not a Jew
But guess who is, the guy who does the voice for Scooby-Doo
Bob Dylan was born a Jew, then he wasn’t, but now he’s back
Mary Tyler Moore’s husband is Jewish ’cause we’re pretty good in the sack
Guess who got bar-mitzvahed on the PGA tour
No, I’m not talking about Tiger Woods, I’m talkin’ about Mr. Happy Gilmore
So many Jews are in the show biz
Bruce Springsteen isn’t Jewish but my mother thinks he is
In 2000, Sandler’s album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Spoken Comedy Album.
2002: “The Chanukah Song, Part III”
During a season 28 episode of Saturday Night Live on November 16, 2002, Sandler returned with a third version of “The Chanukah Song.” Backed by a children’s choir, the Dreidels, and former castmate Rob Schneider, Sandler broke into his third rendition of the holiday classic.
Schneider and Sandler shared a duet through the new set of lyrics, including a shout-out to Willie Nelson‘s former bandmate Mickey Raphael, and others.
The guy in Willie Nelson’s band who plays harmonica
Celebrates Chanukah
Oh, good job Schneider! Alright now
Ross and Phoebe from Friends say the Chanukah blessing
So does Lenny’s pal Squiggy and Will and Grace’s Debra Messing
Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon never mix meat with dairy
Maybe they shoulda called that show Little Kosher House on the Prairie
We’ve got Jerry Lewis, Ben Stiller, and Jack Black
Tom Arnold converted to Judaism, but you guys can have him back
(Just kidding, Tommy!)
We may not get to kiss underneath the mistletoe
But we can do it all night long with Deuce Bigalow
I’m Jewish
Oh my gosh, we got Schneider in here!
“The Chanukah Song, Pt. 4”
In 2015, Sandler returned with a fourth version of “The Chanukkah Song” and new mentions from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, comic legend Stan Lee, Rush‘s Geddy Lee, a few Frozen characters, and more.
Here’s the fourth list of people who are Jewish, just like Jesus, Olaf, Punky Brewster, Scott Rudin, and me!
Joseph Gordon-Levitt enjoys eating kugel
So does Stan Lee, Jake Gyllenhaal, and the two guys who founded Google
Adam Levine wears a Jewish star, so does Drake and Seth Rogen
Goldberg has a gold yarmulke to match the belt he won from Hulk Hogan
We got Scarlett Johansson, talk about a Kosher crush
And if you need a higher voice to turn you on, how about Geddy Lee from Rush?
We may not have a cartoon with a reindeer that can talk
But we also don’t have polio, thanks to Dr. Jonas Salk (Smart Jew!)
Put on your yarmulke, it’s time for Chanukah
Harry Potter and his magic wand-ukah, celebrate Chanukah
Jared from Subway: Goddammit, a Jew
But guess who’s Jewish and can fix him? “Loveline”‘s Dr. Drew (Get on it doc!)
Princess Leia cuts the challah with Queen Elsa from “Frozen”
David Beckham is the king of soccer studs and also a quarter chosen
Ron Jeremy is fully Jewish, and so is his foot-long buddy
Shia LaBeouf is half a Jew but a hundred percent nutty
It’s cool that Santa Claus makes Christmas so merry
But we get two jolly fat guys: ice cream’s Ben & Jerry (Both Jewish!
From New York to Iran-ukah, get up and celebrate Chanukah
Don’t mess with the Zohan-ukah, let’s all get along for Chanukah
So drink your Jaegerbomb-ukah and smoke your medical-chron-ukah
Photo: Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank
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