A surprising find

As I searched for interesting music to share during this week of Chanukah, I found one that was a bit surprising – a 1956 recording of a popular Yiddish Chanukah song performed by the late folksinger/composer Pete Seeger.

Here are the lyrics to the song in English:

Chanukkah, oh Chanukkah, come light the menorah¹
Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora²
Gather round the table, we'll give you a treat
Dreidels³ to play with and lakes⁴ to eat

And while we are playing, the candles are burning low
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago

¹The menorah is the special candelabra used on this holiday.

²The hora is the traditional Jewish circle dance.

³A dreidel is a small four-sided top. The Hebrew letters found on the four sides correspond to the phrase “a great miracle happened there.”

⁴Latkes are fried pancakes made of shredded potatoes and onions mixed with eggs and flour and fried in oil.

Happy Chanukah!

Love,

Rebecca