Debbie Friedman - Chanukah 5762

On December 9, 2001, I put together a Chanukah concert for the final day of the URJ Biennial in Boston to benefit the Rashi School. More than a thousand attendees filled the Hynes Convention Center to see Doug Cotler, Julie Silver, Peri Smilow, David Paskin, Yom Hadash, myself, and of course, Debbie Friedman, who pushed her tired voice and gave as rousing a performance as I have ever seen. A couple of hundred religious school children and dozens of cantors and song-leaders led Chanukah songs from the stage - you can see their delight in singing The Latke Song with Debbie. Thanks to the production crew's efforts - working overtime - to preserve the concert on video, we are able to enjoy Debbie's music and witness the magical way she connected with an audience. Watch Debbie's complete performance HERE.

PBS does Chanukah (Hanukkah?) right

There's music for every taste and more on PBS's new Chanukah concert special, "Lights", now airing nationwide (check your local listings). Produced by (and starring) Craig Taubman, the live concert features Alberto Mizrahi, The Klezmatics, and Joshua Nelson (the Prince of Kosher Gospel), with guest appearances by (among others) jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, actress Mare Winningham, and two young singer-songwriters ready to breakout, Josh Nelson and Michelle Citrin. (Did I mention dancers, a children's choir, and Rabbi David Wolpe?)

Klezmatics frontman Lorin Sklamberg and the band have an ability to dominate any stage they set foot on. They get the joint jumping with a folk-flavored Chanukah song set to lyrics by Woody Guthrie.  Frank London spins wave after wave of wild trumpet riffs, and I've never heard Lorin's vocals sound so good. 

Cantor Mizrahi gets a chance to do a little of everything, from blessings to Sephardic & Ladino songs, along with Hebraic scat singing, and even a little Greek dancing. Joshua Nelson and his singers have fun with a Gospel flavored "Dreidle Song", and Craig Taubman holds it all together with new takes on old songs and touching ballads like "Holy Ground."

Chanukah's coming soon. Check your TV listings. See the show, make a pledge, give what you can. It's Public Television - it's a good cause.

Pictured below: Joshua Nelson and Kosher Gospel; 

Michelle Citrin: Josh Nelson and kids

But enough about me...

This past December I was asked to sing at a Chanukah party for Hillel at Harvard University. I was invited by one of my former Bar Mitzvah students.  He's a wonderful fellow (from a great family) and he plays in the Hillel Klezmer Band!  My gosh, how could I say no?  

I had no idea what to expect.  I even brought my Jewish comedy videos with me just in case I needed help getting things going.  It turned out to be an incredible evening of singing and shmoozing.  Someone was snapping photos the whole time.  I recently got emails from folks saying they saw me in the Spring 2008 Harvard Hillel Journey (a quite lovely and glossy publication.) Well, I finally got a copy and saw this overly generous article.  You can get the pdf here.  (And the entire issue of the Journey is here.)

As it turned out, I didn't need the comedy videos.  Maybe next time.