The Klezmatics

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being wished Merry Christmas by people who assume I too am a Christian; I'm happy to accept, and offer, good wishes any time of the year. It's also no biggie that Christians get to have a tree, while we Jews joke about Hanukkah bushes. It's certainly not that Xmas can be spelled only two ways, while we Jews can't agree on which of more than a half dozen spellings of our holiday to use. Here's my problem: I love Christmas music--the carols, the holiday standards--but I'm not crazy about Hanukah music. We Jews have a glorious musical heritage, just not during the Festival of Lights.

Let's face it, Christians croon "O Holy Night;" we chant "Oh Chanukkah." Christians harmonize "Deck the Halls;" we warble "Dreidle, Dreidle." Christians have Handel and his Messiah in three parts; we have Adam Sandler and his three (count 'em! three!) versions of his Chanukah song. As we sing at another holiday, "It would have been enough ..."

But lately my holiday discomfort has been considerably soothed--and this season will be eased even more. Three years ago, the Klezmatics released Happy Joyous Hanukkah, a CD that I've since enjoyed all year round. And for December 14th, the sixth day of Hannukah, my true love gave to me tickets to see them at the Ark.