Hanukkah candles (illustration)
Photo: Ronen Yules
US: Mormon senator records Hanukkah song
Orrin Hatch decides to show his love for Jewish people by recording new song called 'Eight Days of Hanukkah' along with video documenting recording session
Hanukkah is being celebrating by an unlikely public figure – Mormon US Senator Orrin Hatch, who came out with a special recording of a song he wrote in honor of the Jewish holiday.
Orrin Hatch, 75, a Republican senator from Utah, is a known Israel supporter, as are many Mormons. He is also a big fan of Barbra Streisand. In the past he wrote no small number of religious and patriotic songs, but this is the first time he wrote a Jewish song.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the senator was filmed while recording the song. The video clip of the recording session was put on the internet.
For those who thought perhaps the song didn't incorporate enough religions, the singer who performed the song is Rasheeda Azar, an American of Syrian ancestry living in Indiana. However, the clip put on the internet still places the senator in center stage. He can be seen sitting peacefully in the recording studio, sometimes bopping his head to the beat, and even providing backup vocals. At a certain point, he even showed a chain with a mezuzah-shaped pendant hanging around his neck.
“Anything I can do for the Jewish people, I will do,” Mr. Hatch said in an interview before heading to the Senate floor to debate an abortion amendment. “Mormons believe the Jewish people are the chosen people, just like the Old Testament says.”
Sung along to a synthesizer beat, the catchy tune's lyrics start: "Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah/The festival of light/In Jerusalem, the oil burned bright." The refrain goes: "Eight days of Hanukkah/Come let’s celebrate/Eight days of Hanukkah/Let’s celebrate tonight, Hey!”
Mr. Hatch speaks of “Eight Days of Hanukkah” as a gift to the Jewish people. “This song means more to me than most of the songs I have ever written,” he said. “People need to know the story of Hanukkah. It was a miracle.”
