No comments about Mommy's Lullabies.

5 comments about Chanukah on Planet Matzah Ball.

1. I should say that we are not Jewish, but when this came on PBS my daughter and I both really enjoyed watching it. (She's 3). Now she keeps asking me to put it on so I had to order the dvd. She also asked where our dreidel was the night after watching it- so it must have made a big impression! A really good and fun movie.



2. This is possibly the most inaccurate protrayal of Chanukah in kids programing to date. The movie starts with aliens on planet Matzah who found out they were jewish and who begin to chant 'we are jewish! we are jewish!' like it was some crazy cult. Then out of space comes this menorah that falls into their spaceship. This is fallowed by a song that goes something like "what do you do with a menorah? what does a menorah do? what do you do with a menorah? we all wish that we knew." Then in a quest to find out about Chanukah they uncover that the Greeks captured the Jews and made them worship a Greek god named "Ralph" instead of their own. Also they had a scene where the Jews go shopping in a Greek grocery store....and all they had were "pigstacio icecream" or "pig sount brussle sprouts" or "little pig cereal" point being the greeks made the Jews shop in their grocery stores where all they could eat was the forbidden pork. The movie ended with a song about Chanukah put to the tune of a Christmas song. I don't think an ounce of research was done for this film. I've concluded that the writer and the director of the puppets got together for a production meeting and someone was like "okay I have a friend who has this friend who had a cousin that married a girl who was once half jewish and the word on the street is that they have these things called latkes."



3. My son loved this DVD and so I have to buy it because I've already spent [money] on rental fees. The puppets are very cutesy, the songs are catchy and easy to learn. Exactly the kind of entertainment the target audience craves. So OK, it's not completely historically accurate, but I think it portrays the story and spirit of Chanukah so that my 3 year old understands it. Everytime the Grandma starts singing the blessing, he brings me into the room, sits on my lap and we bond. It's touching and sweet and silly and that's enough for both of us. It might twist some facts, but it does great with bringing the spirit of the holiday home. And its way more accurate than the Rugrat's version.



4. 
   First of all, I'd like to warn everyone about Katie Rains review below - she obviously has no sense of humor.
   
   This is by far one of the best Chanukah films made. I have been waiting all my life for Chanukah to get some attention. Who cares if it's not 100% accurate? Is every Xmas show 100% accurate?
   
   It is such a cute show and brought to life maybe some new Chanuakh songs. There is no song that sings to an Xmas tune like the below review states.
   
   It is simply a good family Chanukah film that children of all ages would love. Surely a new Chanukah tradition in my family.



5. We got this video for our almost 3 year old son for Hanukah. He really likes it but I'm not crazy about it at all. I don't like it's portrayal of the Greeks and the whole thing about "pigstachio" ice cream is ridiculous and completely inaccurate. I don't know what the people who produced this video were thinking. The singing dreidyl is also annoying, but I can tolerate that part. I would not recommend this video to anyone.

No comments about Christmas & Hanukkah.

5 comments about The Hanukkah Lounge.

1. I am involved in a Jewish Sorority at my school, and we are having a huge Hanukkah party for the entire campus. We just found this CD, and we are so excited to use it for our event. The president of the sorority just ordered 50 copies to use as door prizes. Great album. Happy Hanukkah!!!!



2. I followed the advice of one reviewer and checked out the Hip Hop Hoolios to find sound that was anything BUT Lounge... If "M. Berciano" gets what he wants, we'll have Mozart on Eminem releases and Harry Kandel, Master of Klezmer Music on Dolly Parton's Christmas spectacular. Hey... just cuz this fabulous chill-out compilation has all-Jewish tracks with all-Jew talent doesn't mean that all Jews who have ever picked up a guitar need to be included. If that were the case, my Temple's cantor does a mean Sh'ma... let's throw her on too.
   
   The Hanukkah Lounge is superb, as it stands. Leave well enough alone and stop showboating on Amazon for your friendly neighborhood garage band.



3. I had just watched a Hanukah special on Public Television when they advertised a Hanukah CD by Craig Taubman. While browsing here on Amazon, I saw another CD by Mr. Taubman. Hanukah songs done in a more modern way. While my Mother, the traditionalist did not care for it, myself and some of my non-jewish friends who had no idea what they were listening to liked it. I find that the music on the CD can also be used for mood music. Going to try it on my next party. If you are looking for the traditional Hanukah music, this is not the CD. But if you want a different spin on the Hanukah songs you learned and sang, then this is the CD to buy.



4. So,just because some entreprenurial musicians combine a few traditionalist jewish tunes with what they think is a"lounge"sound does not make this lounge,at least not in the normal,Mel Torme sense of the word,and not even in any modern,experimental sense either...A lot of what is on here sounds like a combination between amateur antics and some old electronica,and MOST of it sounds as if it were hot-wired together on someone's home computer...To have,say,a yiddish crooner doing a swing version of Havah Nagilah would make this"lounge"..to have,instead,a disembodied voice mumbling a few yiddish phrases over an electronic drone ,which is what one gets on a few of the tracks here makes this a sort of poor landsman's "new age"sampler...One can only marvel at the notion that this drek is billed as "lounge"..It is as if the people responsible for this album wanted to tap into the "lounge"craze amongst the young and decided that making thier album ethnic,jewish ethnic,might not only do so,but might also garner a few traditionalists as well...A lot of what is on here sounds suspiciously like "Trance" music,a style that is quite popular in Israel,but Trance is NOT "Lounge"...If you want to be experimental,then maybe buying this album would not be a disappointment,but if you want real lounge,and you buy this album,just remember that I told you so beforehand that what you will get won't be real lounge....



5. This is the Best Hanukkah CD I have ever heard but this CD is for people really enjoy a nontraditonal rendition of tradition Hanukkah music. Highy Highy recommended .

No comments about Songs for Playtime.

No comments about 25 Fun Animal Songs.

2 comments about Chanukah Carols.

1. This album, featuring comic actor Stanley Adams (You remember him as the head cannibal on "Gilligan's Island" amongst many other roles) takes the traditional Christmas holiday songs and puts a Jewish spin on them. They are packed with Yiddush phrases, but none to worry..there is a complete Yiddush glossary included as part of the package!
   
   My Dad bought our family this album in the early '60s and it was an instant hit with my brother and sister and I. The songs are very well performed by Adams in several different Yiddusha personas, and "The Night Before Chanukah" performed as a British royal subject, too! Adams really has a flair for this Catskills type of humor, and this is a one of a kind album that you and your family will delight in year after year.
   
   There are not many Chanukah parody albums. This may be the only one! Of course, we know the Chanukah song by Adam Sandler, but that's about it. The cover art is hilarious too, with Adams dressed as a Yiddusha Santa Claus trying to carry a laundry bag full of gifts over his shoulder.
   
   Tracks include "Matzoh Balls" done as "Jingle Bells" and a hilarious version of "Tiny Totele" a retelling of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Adams and producer Sid Wayne have made an album here for the ages, and you "Don't have to be Jewish" to appreciate its charm and cleverness.
   
   I highly recommend this album. You won't be disappointed!



2. OMG! I have been looking for this album for years. When I was a kid in the '60s my father brought it home and it became an instant hit for our family. Sadly, in a flood some years later it was damaged beyond repair. Every few years I've done an internet search for it with no results. Finally someone re-released it! I didn't have to think for more than a second about buying it. Now my children can enjoy it too.

3 comments about Celebrate Hanukkah.

1. This is my family's CD of choice for Hanukkah time. We put it on and everyone knows every song. It's a classic!



2. This cd has become a family tradition for us over Hanukkah. We play it at all our Hanukkah parties and give them out to all our guests! Fun music for a fun celebration!



3. A must have for any music library. Superb production, clever arrangments and exceptional variety of artists. This CD has been a part of my holiday music library for years...always a favorite!

No comments about There's No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein.

3 comments about Jewish Favorites.

1. This CD by master harpist Rachel Van Voorhees has over 25 tracks of wonderful Jewish music. You'll find favorites such as Zum Gali Gali, Dreydl, Erev Shel Shoshannim, Hatikvah, Kvare Achare Chatzot (my personal favorite) and many, many other selections. Van Voorhees exhibits a wide array of tone colors, tempos, and styles in the music, which she arranged herself. This CD would make a perfect gift, and would serve well as background music to any party, Shabbat dinner, or simply as a relaxer! I highly recommend Rachel Van Voorhees' Jewish Favorites.



2. This music arranged by Rachel Van Voorhees is simply beautiful and relaxing. There are 35 separate pieces, varied and lovely. There are some klezmer-origin type songs, yet they are lively but soft, and blend well with the rest of the CD. The sound quality is excellent.

   Though I haven't been raised with Jewish music and therefore don't know whether the meanings of some of the songs would be appropriate for various formal events (like weddings), I can say that out of the 35 songs, there are surely some that would be suitable regardless of whether the event is a wedding, a nice Shabbat dinner, meditation, or simply relaxation as you're falling asleep.




3. I find this CD really soothes my road rage in the car and makes me feel that nothing bothers me. Overall, the tracks may sound similar if you are paying attention to your driving, but that's not a bad thing when they're all good. But when I bring it inside and pay attention, I find the subtleties to be enjoyable and charming. Avinu Malkeinu is my favorite, bringing tears to my eyes the first time I heard this version.

   This CD was a recommendation to me by friends, and now I am making the same recommendation to others.