Adam Sandler's 'Chanukah Song' turns 30

On Dec. 3, 1994, at about midnight, comedian Adam Sandler appeared on the Weekend Update segment of “Saturday Night Live” to perform one of his signature silly ditties on the acoustic guitar. Little did he know that he was about to debut a holiday classic called “The Chanukah Song.”

The tune begins with an intro from Sandler clearly stating why he wrote it.

“When I was a kid, this time of year always made me feel a little left out because in school there were so many Christmas songs and all us Jewish kids had was the song, ‘Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,’ ” says Sandler on "SNL." “I wrote a brand-new Chanukah song for you Jewish kids to sing and I hope you like it.”

The lyrics comedically rhyme the names of more than 20 celebrities who are part of the Jewish faith in the context of celebrating the Festival of Lights. Meanwhile the catchy chorus repeats the refrain, “Put on your yarmulke, here comes Chanukah. So much fun-ukah to celebrate Chanukah.”

“When ‘The Chanukah Song’ came out, it made me feel like it was cool to be Jewish,” says David Seth Cohen, 48, who grew up in Plainview. “It blew away all the Christmas songs because it was funny and clever. The song is brilliant and made me proud to be Jewish.”

Diane Berg-Milioto, 72, of Huntington Station, taught Hebrew school for 50 years, 44 of which were at Temple Beth El of Huntington, where she was lacking current Hanukkah material.

“It was hard to teach catchy and fun Hanukkah songs to my students,” she says. “Then along came Adam Sandler who created a slightly irreverent Hanukkah song. I got hooked on it immediately. We never had anyone who showed that other people were Jewish and we can be proud of them.”

CELEBRITIES IN THE SONG

Van Halen’s original lead singer, David Lee Roth, is the first celebrity mentioned in the song, followed by actors James Caan and Kirk Douglas plus singer “Dinah Shore-ah” as well as Bowzer (Jon Bauman) from Sha Na Na and “Happy Days” character Arthur Fonzarelli (actor Henry Winkler).

“I’m sure there were people surprised by the list of celebrities. It was good to hear the names publicly,” says Joel Blitzer, 58, of Smithtown, who is a member of the Chabad Center of Mid-Suffolk in Commack.  “Adam even brought to light other people that are half-Jewish like Paul Newman and Goldie Hawn.”

It blew away all the Christmas songs because it was funny and clever. The song is brilliant and made me feel proud to be Jewish.

—David Seth Cohen, 48,  of Plainview

Ilyse SanFilippo, 60, of Mastic adds, “Everybody needs a role model to identify with and look up to. By knowing who all these icons are and that you have some kind of connection with them is really amazing.”

The song continues noting that Captain Kirk (actor William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (actor Leonard Nimoy) from “Star Trek” are Jewish along with the “owner of the Seattle Supersonic-ahs,” baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew, plus columnists (and twins) Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby).

When Rebecca Feder, 48, of Dix Hills, attended Locust Valley High School, she was one of only a few Jewish kids. She feels Sandler’s song provided a much-needed service for the Jewish community.

“Adam brought a lot of awareness to the holiday for Jewish people in a community way,” she says. “He put the holiday and Hollywood’s Judaism into focus in the mainstream. For those who weren’t in the know it gave them a basic understanding of what the holiday is about.”

Growing up, Tracy Kolsin, 54, of East Moriches. always felt like an outsider being the only Jewish kid in his eighth grade class and was taunted by having pennies thrown at him.

“I really didn’t have any sense of community. But listening to that song was a community,” says Kolsin, who is president of the Jewish Center of the Moriches. “These were notable people. It was validation for me.”

LISTEN TO THE RABBI

Rabbi David Nesenoff, author of “I Never Met the Rebbe Many Times” who has led congregations in both Nassau and Suffolk, praises Sandler for his work.

“Jews have a great sense of humor and Hanukkah is a happy holiday. Anything that makes us smile is good and it’s a very clever song,” says Rabbi Nesenoff, 64, who grew up in Syosset. “Adam Sandler did a great job, but let’s put some light on these other musicians. He lit the spark and let’s increase the flame by checking out some other Jewish music beyond his funny song.”

Other modern Jewish groups include 8th Day, which comprises two brothers; Hasidic band Rogers Park from Chicago; the Maccabeats, a 14-member Orthodox Jewish band; American Belz Hasidic singer Shulem Lemmer from Brooklyn, and Orthodox pop singer-songwriter Mordechai Shapiro.

“We turn to the arts a lot of times to help console us. Music can do more than speeches, eulogies and sermons,” says Nesenoff. “Every Jew needs to remember to light the menorah for all eight days. If Adam’s song can cause that to happen, he has accomplished more than many rabbis have done.”

A RELATABLE STAR

Part of what makes “The Chanukah Song” work is the charm and wit Sandler delivers it with.

“When I watch his movies, I feel like I’m seeing my brothers and his friends,” says SanFilippo. “There’s something very down home, comfortable and relatable about him. He doesn’t put on airs.”

Kolsin adds, “Adam is kind of wholesome and doesn’t degrade anybody else. He is an average guy. You could be him.”

Cohen, who once met Sandler in 1998 and has made a documentary about the experience called, “Finding Sandler,” feels “The Chanukah Song” impacted his ailing grandfather in a positive way.

Christmas has Mariah Carey and we have Adam Sandler.

—Joanne Davis, 73, of South Hempstead

“Whenever I’d play ‘The Chanukah Song,’ he’d react to it,” says Cohen. “The song would awaken him, so I’d play it over and over again.”

Joanne Davis, of South Hempstead, performed Sandler’s signature song as part of the “Toys for Hope” holiday toy drive at the First Presbyterian Church of Smithtown last month.

“People typically do Christmas songs, so I’ve made it a tradition of performing Adam Sandler’s ‘The Chanukah Song’ to give the Jewish holiday equal time,” says Davis, 73. “It’s a celebration of Judaism. Christmas has Mariah Carey and we have Adam Sandler.”

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.