The festival made for Hollywood, not beach holidays

It’s almost time to “Put on your yarmulke; here comes Chanukah; so much Fun-ukah to celebrate Chanukah,” as Adam Sandler famously sang in his iconic 1994 Chanukah Song, a playful reminder that the festival can be just as festive as Christmas. 

But Sandler’s anthem also highlights a bigger question: why does Chanukah seem to get the spotlight in Hollywood? From sitcom specials to made-for-TV movies, the Festival of Lights often becomes the go-to Jewish holiday on screen. 

For South African filmmaker Jordy Sank, Chanukah gets put on the same stage as Christmas purely due to its proximity to the holiday and the fact that Jewish producers in Hollywood want some Jewish representation. 

“Our TV and film is mostly informed by America, and there’s this big thing around seasonal holidays in America. One of the stores in America, Trader Joe’s, put out all-Halloween things; all their food flavours are Halloween-flavoured, it’s a huge thing,” he said. “It’s the same thing with Christmas and the festive season towards the end of the year. Everything is geared towards that.” 

Hallmark and various channels have holiday films, so Sank assumes that when it comes to Hollywood being very Jewish, there are a lot of producers and others watching holiday films who think it would be great to have Jewish representation. That’s how you get to have Chanukah episodes on television. 

Television series that feature Jewish characters, such as The O.C., Rugrats, The Nanny, and even Friends, have episodes focused on Chanukah and Judaism. 

The O.C., centres on a Jewish family, the Cohens, and each season has an episode that revolves around the made-up holiday of Chrismukkah, a blend of Christmas and Chanukah. Similarly, in the season 7 episode of Friends, Ross gets upset that his son, Ben, loves Christmas and hasn’t been exposed to Jewish traditions, so he invents the Holiday Armadillo to tell him about Chanukah. 

Additionally, in the sitcom The Goldbergs, which focuses on a Jewish family in the 1980s, there is a Chanukah episode where Beverley, a typical Jewish mommy, creates a “Super Chanukah” trying to get her family into the holiday spirit with a Chanukah bush, socks, and a few more Christmas items disguised as Chanukah things. 

“It’s a representation thing, kind of just showing that holiday spirit and cheer,” said Sank, “If it were any other Jewish holiday around that time period, I think it would also be swept in.” 

Jewish South African Filmmaker Adam Thal suggests that, in fact, Chanukah is overlooked because of its proximity to Christmas, particularly in South Africa. 

“Let’s be real, Chanukah sits in the middle of South Africa’s biggest holiday season. December in this country isn’t just ‘holiday mode’, it’s ‘national exhale’ mode. People are switching off, heading to the coast, building Christmas trees, and counting down to New Year. In that atmosphere, Chanukah feels more like a quiet Jewish glow in the corner while the rest of the country is wrapped in Mariah Carey and mistletoe,” he said. 

Thal said that though it may feel as if Chanukah gets special treatment in the world of Jewish holidays, that simply isn’t the case. Other chaggim get discussed more. 

“Passover, for one, gets plenty of attention outside our community. Everyone knows the story of the Jews escaping Egypt, crossing a sea that parts, wandering deserts. It’s epic. It’s cinematic. It’s the kind of thing Hollywood would call a trilogy,” he said. 

Rosh Hashanah also gets some raised eyebrows, as non-Jews can get a bit confused about a new year happening in September or October. 

“Even Sukkot gets more curiosity,” Thal said. “Tell a non-Jew you’re sitting in a temporary little hut with leaves for a roof, and they can’t help but ask follow-up questions. It’s weird, it’s charming, it’s niche, it’s very “only the Jews would do this”. The media loves that stuff.” 

Sank said what makes Chanukah so appealing to depict isn’t just the fact that it’s framed as “Jewish Christmas”, but that it’s not bogged down by restrictions. 

“It’s the same as Purim. It’s why so many secular Jews love Purim. It’s an easily accessible and fun holiday. You know, eating a doughnut and lighting a candle on Chanukah is just a beautiful, festive, fun thing. It’s a family thing, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort really,” Sank said. “It’s a two-to-five-minute thing. You eat your doughnut, light your candle, and sing some songs, and that’s really all the formalities. From a secular perspective, that’s appealing. And that’s the reason why it’s been in so many films and series – it’s so accessible.” 

“Yes, it’s beautiful, it’s full of warmth, family, light, and miracles. But in the broader South African landscape, I wouldn’t say that it’s treated like some major headline event. If anything, it quietly competes with Christmas lights that have a far bigger budget,” said Thal. “The irony is that because it happens in December, people assume Chanukah must be our version of Christmas, which, if you’ve ever explained this to someone for the hundredth time, you’ll know is both inaccurate and mildly exhausting. But this assumption actually works against Chanukah. It makes it feel less unique. Less distinctive. Floating somewhere between year-end office parties and the rush for last-minute gifts.” 

Sank said Chanukah is also a lot more visually appealing than other chaggim. 

“When it comes to Chanukah, seeing Jews light the menorah is a visual everyone recognises. It’s simple, striking, and instantly understood by the masses. Filmmakers are always looking for quick, clear visuals that audiences can immediately relate to or digest, and the menorah offers exactly that. 

“By contrast, something like fasting on Yom Kippur is far harder to depict on screen. People don’t naturally gravitate towards it, and it’s not visually obvious. But a family gathered around a menorah, lighting candles, and singing, it plays almost like a Jewish parallel to Christmas. It’s warm, familiar, and easy for audiences to connect with.”