Jews Writing Christmas Songs and Mormons Writing Hanukkah Songs and…

December 27, 2009 · Filed Under Baum's Blog 

When I think back on the winter holidays this year, music seems to be a pretty significant theme.  Particularly interfaith music.  I suspect many of you have heard about Mormon Senator Orinn Hatch writing a Hanukkah song.  It struck me as a little bizarre.  Doesn’t Hatch have other things to worry about, say like health care or national security?

I suppose Conan O’Brien and his Tonight Show staff also found it bizarre.   Conan and Max Weinberg (the self-proclaimed “Tonight Show’s only Jew”) wrote a song in response to Hatch’s.  It’s not exactly kind to Mormons – so beware of the offensiveness.

I’m not sure why Hatch felt he wanted to write a Hanukkah song, though he has said in interviews how connected he feels to the Jewish people.  I’m sure Max Weinberg and Conan O’Brien wrote their song to be funny.  And, it turns out that people writing holiday songs for holidays that are not part of their own religious experience is quite common.

Recent articles in the Forward, New York Times, and LA Times discuss how many Jewish songwriters have written Christmas songs.  Of course there’s Irving Berlin who wrote “White Christmas” in 1942.  Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan have recently performed Christmas songs.  The article in the Forward lists 13 famous Christmas songs and their Jewish writers, like  “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by George Wyle, “Silver Bells” by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks, and “Let It Snow!  Let It Snow!  Let It Snow!” by Sammy Cahn and Julie Styne.

What’s up with all these Jews writing Christmas songs?  Why not, I guess?  In some ways, it’s pretty cool that we live in a world where Mormons write Hanukkah songs and Jews write Christmas songs etc.  There are fewer boundaries between religious communities and artists want to create music that others can enjoy (obviously, they don’t just write songs for themselves!).  This is a wonderful thing.

I also suspect that one of the reasons there are so many Christmas songs written by Jews is that Christmas has become a more secular holiday in many ways – with Rudolph and ornamented trees and Santa.  When the holiday is about family and fun – and not as much about theology or what is said in mass, it’s easier for there to be sharing among different religious groups.

Of course, sharing does not mean that each religion becomes so watered down that it is no longer distinct.  I think there is great value in there being defining aspects of each religion.  Yet, I don’t see why one a songwriter of one religion should feel s/he can only write about his own religion.  Some of the songs are fabulous.  So I say, Let It Snow!  Let It Snow!  Let It Snow!

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One Response to “Jews Writing Christmas Songs and Mormons Writing Hanukkah Songs and…”

  1. David Schwartz Says:
    December 27th, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    Johnny Marks wrote some great Christmas songs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Marks

    Christmas is a fun holiday and we all end up celebrating it. We go out to “holiday” celebrations throughout December. We eat christmas cookies and buy christmas presents and listen to christmas songs. Jews in the arts perform at a wide variety of christmas events, including plays, parties, movies, etc. I have sung christmas carols at nursing homes

    We don’t live in a Christian nation but we do live in a Christmas nation all December long. Enjoy the season.

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