Re: family hanukkah songs: suggestions?

[ChinseG <ChinseG...>]

In a message dated 12/31/97 4:37:16 pm, gertzse (at) muohio(dot)edu wrote:

<<My family has a Hanukkah tradition of reading a different Hanukkah story
out loud each night of Hanukkah and singing songs together. We would like
to extend our selection of singing material for next year. We have
typically sung Oh, Hanukkah, Mao Tsur, and I Had a Little Dreidel. We would
like more choices for next year, and I plan to compile a Hanukkah songbook
for home use. The kids are getting older (9 and 11), so we don't want
really babyish songs. I am interested in traditional and contemporary songs
in English, Hebrew, and/or Yiddish. (The latter two, ideally, with
translations.) Any recommendations (especially suggestions of personal
favorites) will be appreciated.>>

Here we go...

There are many other Chanukah songs of note, some of which aren't the standard
fare.  A few Hebrew songs come to mind, including "Banu choshech legaresh"
(trans. "We have come to chase away the darkness"), which is what could well
be termed a kick-ass Chanukah song because of its subject.  (If you were at
the Yitzhak Rabin sh'loshim service at Madison Square Garden in 1995, you may
remember that Al Gore, in his memorial speech, quoted that line in Hebrew,
though he sounded awfully wooden in the process.)  Other Israeli songs include
"Ner Li" ("I have a candle"), "Hanerot halalu" ("These candles"), "Chanukah,
Chanukah, chag yafeh kol-kach" ("Chanukah, such a beautiful holiday"), and
"Sevivon sov sov sov" ("Dreidl, spin, spin, spin").

This last one you may already know, and you may be interested to know that it
has two different versions, one for the Diaspora and one for Israel.  To wit:

Diaspora version:
Sevivon, sov sov sov, 
Chanukah hu chag tov.
Chanukah hu chag tov,
Sevivon, sov sov sov.
Chag simcha hu la`am,
Nes gadol haya sham.
Nes gadol haya sham,
Chag simcha hu la`am.

Israeli version:
Sevivon, sov sov sov,
Chanukah hu chag tov.
Chanukah hu chag tov,
Sevivon, sov sov sov.
Sov na, sov, ko vacho,
Nes gadol haya po.
Nes gadol haya po,
Sov na, sov, ko vacho.

The first four lines are the same for both versions: "Dreidl, spin, spin,
spin, / Chanukah is a good holiday. / Chanukah is a good holiday, / Dreidl,
spin, spin, spin."  ("Sevivon" is derived from the Hebrew verb "l'sovev," "to
spin.")  The last four lines in the Diaspora version are: "It is a holiday of
happiness for the [Jewish] people, / A great miracle happened there [Israel].
/ A great miracle happened there, / It is a holiday of happiness for the
people."  However, the last four lines in the Israeli version are different:
"Spin around, like this and like that, / A great miracle happened here
[Israel], / A great miracle happened here, / Spin around, like this and like
that."  The lyrics are different in the Hebrew for the sake of historical
accuracy and correct rhyme.

Relatedly, Diaspora dreidls have the Hebrew letters N-G-H-Sh on them ("Nes
Gadol Haya SHam" = "A great miracle happened there"), whereas Israeli dreidls
have N-G-H-P ("Nes Gadol Haya Po" = "A great miracle happened here")
inscribed.

(There are also Hebrew lyrics to "Oy, Chanukah," though that may not qualify
as a new song in your family's book.)

Sadly, I don't know who wrote any of these songs.  Go to a good Judaica store
and see if they have any Chanukah songbooks, as all the above should be in
such a book, if it's worth anything.

Hope this helps.  Happy secular New Year and a belated Chag Sameach.

-Barak Tulin