CC & NJ Guy
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CC & NJ Guy
Understanding Hanukkah: History, Traditions, And Modern Life
Eight nights, rising light, and a story that refuses to fade. We dive into Hanukkah’s heart: the Maccabean fight for identity, the oil that burned beyond reason, and the menorah in the window that says we’re here without saying a word. Along the way, we unpack the biggest myth—Hanukkah isn’t “Jewish Christmas”—and show how a modest holiday grew into a meaningful cultural anchor.
We keep things grounded and personal. From childhood envy of tinsel and towering trees to the calm rhythm of blessings at sundown, we talk about gifts, lists, and why some families save the “big present” for the first night. We break down the shamash, why the light increases, and how dreidel letters encode a miracle. The food is half the joy—latkes crisped in oil, knishes that taste like memory, gelt that turns a lesson into a treat—each bite connecting back to the story.
We also explore visibility and respect: menorahs on lawns, blue and white lights, and what it means to celebrate side by side with Christmas without blending meanings. Mixed backgrounds and ancestry come up, too—how traditions adapt across generations and why public light matters for minority faiths. The result is a clear, warm guide to celebrating with intention, whether you’re lighting your first candle or teaching kids why the window glow is more than decoration.
If this conversation added a little light to your day, tap follow, hit subscribe, and share it with someone who’d love the story behind the candles. Leave a quick review to help more listeners find us, and tell us: what tradition do you most look forward to this season?
Hosted by: Cottman, Crawford & The Jersey Guy
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Live from Crofted Studios, C C and NJ Guy. Yes. What's going on? Yes. What up?
SPEAKER_00:For another episode. Yes. But real quick before we even start our show, I want to give my daughter a shout out. She got a promotion in the military. So big girl Samantha. Congratulations. Love you. Proud of you. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Sergeant First Class Cottman. Oh, it's you're the man. Yes. Yes. Love you, baby. Proud of you. All right. Nice. Today's episode is Hanukkah.
unknown:Oh.
SPEAKER_00:Hanukkah.
SPEAKER_04:It's coming Sunday. Yeah. The whole week of next week, actually. It starts on Sunday. Right. But at sundown. And then it's all the way through the whole week. Oh, it starts at Sundown.
SPEAKER_05:Crazy night.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. I wish you could play the song, bro. Do the movie. Yeah. Right. Yes. That's freaking great. Cool. That is excellent. Okay. Eight crazy nights are coming. Good stuff.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. So you know it's funny because there are other holidays, you know, but but Hanukkah happens to be like the second one right behind Christmas. You know? Even though there is no competition, it just happened to work out that way. Right.
SPEAKER_00:You know what I mean? Okay, gotcha.
SPEAKER_04:So I know growing up in me, I was I I definitely would say I was envious of my friends when they when they celebrated Christmas. Not because of the because of the presents and the way the the house was decorated, yeah. All of that stuff, you know what I mean? So I guess but growing up but then we were told, well, you have eight ace, you get eight presents. There you go. So I'm like, well, that's that's such a bad uh bad uh rap right there. No. So it was what it was, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00:And well, is it like great is it eight is it eight presents that you like wanted? Like you said, you know, we would get a set of things. It would be the same way. It would be the same way.
SPEAKER_04:You would get like if whatever it was your parents knew that you liked.
SPEAKER_05:You had a Hanukkah list. Like a Christmas list, you had a Hanukkah list. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:And then you know parents do the Christmas shop. Have the menorah, you like the menorah, and all that.
SPEAKER_05:And we have information here that we could read from that we uh Do some people like give away like more than one present for a day, like like, oh, I got two on day one or a devil. Actually. Oh, so it's not okay. So it's not just it doesn't have to be just from that one person.
SPEAKER_04:It's not from just your parents. You can get one. Right. It could be from your aunts, your uncles, your grandparents. Really? Yeah. See, it's like what? You know, see. Okay. I don't know it was like that.
SPEAKER_00:I thought it was like you just got the one from your parents and that was in debt.
SPEAKER_04:See, Hanukkah isn't a Jewish isn't a Jewish Christmas. It's the misconception actually tells us a lot about how holidays get framed in modern culture. Gotcha. Right? So some people are like, you know, it's a Jewish Christmas. No, it's but most people know that what it's about, you know. Right. So we'll go through that. But yeah, it's it's different. You get a pair, like, my aunt and uncle can give me presents. Yeah. You know, and then I had Christmas and my other aunt and uncles, but you know, I went to them and then I went I had the best of both worlds, really. Yeah, you did, but I didn't have it in my own house. That's the thing. You know, I don't want to later on until I was on my own.
SPEAKER_05:I don't want to get too far ahead, but like is is any is is any day more important. Like, is the first day more important or is the last day more the most important one?
SPEAKER_04:You get in the big present usually is how it wasn't me. Okay. You get in the big present. The first day's the big present. But I guess it could be where they could do it on any day they feel like it. I don't think there's any sense.
SPEAKER_05:No, but I mean like is there is is significantly like is one is is is is one day more important than the other. No, just no, it's not like oh the eighth day because that's the last day. That's the how long that that oil lasted. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
unknown:Got it.
SPEAKER_04:Which technically I believe, but we'll get into it. Right. It was only a day's worth of oil and it lasted eight nights. Got it. So that's the uh importance of it, the significance to the story.
SPEAKER_00:So you filled up the jug or the the what you call it. Okay, I got it. That makes sense. Okay, so it was eight hours.
SPEAKER_04:The historical back backstory Jewish people under Seleucid Greek rule, King Antiochus of the fourth, outlawed Jewish practice, temple in Jerusalem Jerusalem, was desecrated, and a small rebel force uh of the Maccabees fought back and won, so they won. I'm sorry, guys. No, no, got it. Gotcha. So hang on. Okay, that makes sense. You know I get it. So they just fought back and got and got what and they used that oil. So this one we'll get into it. I got all this stuff here. So But you know what? It's not the same it doesn't have the same if you're gonna go about going back to what we were saying earlier, putting one against the other, you can't really do that because one one was there before that other one, which means Hanukkah was there before Christmas.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_04:So it's been around longer. Right? But Christmas because of of Christ and all that, and you know, right whatever. Yeah, right. But it's more colorful, everything is a little bit more, you know. So it's kind of like playing Jane. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I got it. I get it. No, no, I get it, I get it. Now that's cool. Why why so so uh I'm saying I won't say playing Jane, but like so like you have your minority.
SPEAKER_01:Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_00:Right? Right. And you've got different color lights. Is it also is it was it w a time that it was just all white lights? Like when you were a kid, was it all white lights or was it different color lights? Or orange, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_04:Sorry, guys, I gotta get used to looking this way. I know. My brain's tongue. I know it could be overwhelmed.
SPEAKER_05:No, and I was just saying it was a good idea when you read it, you hold the paper up like this, so then you can your face could be up. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:No need to be noisy. Yes, so it's you're gonna be all right. Very nice.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. The miracle of the oil, the core story. After reclaiming the temple, they found only one day's worth of sacred air oil. The oil burned for eight days, enough time to repair new concentrated oil. So by the time they they got out of the the oil, they were able to make more. Right. And then they they were good to go. So they consider that a miracle. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, listen, hey, make a stretch, bro.
SPEAKER_04:Are you sure this is eight days? No, I'm telling you, it's one day. I swear to God, I'm alighting me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's funny as that. Imagine that is too fun.
SPEAKER_04:I think you I think you measured wrong. This guy. So now why light the menorah? Go ahead. No, no, you first. No, no, no, no, no.
SPEAKER_00:I said asking just more questions and stuff, you know what I'm saying? Shoot. So that then now when for you, because you know, said you growing up and whatnot, right? Was it so like I've seen or heard when me growing up in Brooklyn that it was like everything was super like, I don't want to say quiet, but like you said, it was kind of it was plain. So then when you went to the family's house, you know, the cousins' house or the aunt's houses or whatever, you know, aunts and uncles' houses, did you guys like, was it playing music? Were you guys singing? Was it like hymns, I guess, kind of thing?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Probably it was a prayer said. Okay. To light the menorah. And then after that, everything is just family time after that.
SPEAKER_05:Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00:So each night it's is it the same, the same prayer?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Same family, or do you see different cousins and shit like that?
SPEAKER_04:No, no, you could be with anybody. So let's say you're at somebody else's house and they're they're lighting their menorah, so you could be part of that prayer. So it's the same thing as if you were going like if you know it's the same concept, it's only the holiday is not, you know, as colorful. Got it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wonder why nobody's trying to do that.
SPEAKER_00:I wonder why nobody's trying to make make it more.
SPEAKER_04:I didn't mind it, and I actually kind of grow to like it, you know, as a time went by. You know what I mean? So it was interesting to do that. Yeah. It makes it grow up in that in that setting and experience it, you know. Yeah. And I still do it now. As you can see, the menores behind me. Yeah. I did the lights that way on purpose. Yep.
SPEAKER_00:And they can't see it on camera, but you got the the the the rabbi sitting right behind you. And you have them all lit. Yeah. Have ordered them forever. Yeah, you're supposed to be doing it one light at a time, bro. I know.
SPEAKER_04:But because we're on podcasts.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and and it's technically it didn't start yet.
SPEAKER_04:It didn't start yet. So it's really more for aesthetics. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I hope you don't mind. I'm not trying to offend anybody if you don't do bed.
SPEAKER_05:You can't offend me, bro. It's you. Well, maybe come back and watch this on on the eighth day of Hanukkah, and then you'll it'll be all lit up. It'll be all lit up. So it won't matter. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_04:Exactly. Yeah, bro. What are you looking at? Well, one candle is from one night. The shamish, the helper candle, is by itself. So that's the one in the middle. Shamish. Okay. Shamus. That lights all the other candles. Oh. Got it. Light increase each night. Hope grows, doesn't shrink. Please in the windows, publicly identif identity, not hidden faith. So in other words, you're not shamed if we are putting in the window and this is what we do. You know, Hanukkah isn't about surviving in the dark. It's about refusing to hide your light. I always when I read that, that was on the pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00:That is pretty good, bro.
SPEAKER_05:I'm digging that. Yeah, that is pretty good. I know some people put the big ones on the lawn. They have the big, big Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:I always had one, you know, when my father, like we talked about uh in the Christmas one, he uh I'm sorry, guys, I'm looking down and I'm trying to get used to this. I apologize, people. My father would have a menorah on the other side of the building. Because there was two sides to the building. Right. So the Christmas tree was in one corner, next to the staircase, and the menorah was in the other spot near the staircase. And it was nice. It was just, you know, it had this nice gold fabric over it with gold line I mean uh white with gold lining and the menorah was over there, and every night he put the candle in here. One, two. Right. It was a cool thing. I got the building part of it in in my life as far as Christmas was concerned. So I had both with my father because he liked it and he decorated the building and they both. So yeah, it was, you know, I can't complain. No, that's really cool though.
SPEAKER_00:That you honestly were able to to you were part of two different cultures, you know, celebrating the holidays. Yeah. You know, bro. That's and you were taught about them. Yeah, like a lot of people, they're not, they're like, yeah, whatever. That's I have to be honest, I had to refresh myself.
SPEAKER_04:I I had pretty much was close, but I said, you know what, I don't want to go on and say something that I'm not sure about, so it's better to just be safe than some.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, no, I'm with you, brother. I'm with you. I'm with you. And get it the right way. Yep. No. So Go ahead. Now what were you up to now? Let's see. Light increases. Why lighting it? Let's say one candle.
SPEAKER_04:Conditions people know and why they exist. Menorah. Dradel. Originally a way to secretly study Torah. Really? Didn't know that. That's the first time I ever heard that. Oh, see, I was gonna be asking. That's interesting. That's funny. Lackas, fried fried food and oil. So usually it's potato lockes, is what my grandparent, Miami, and my mother, and they were always good. Potato lockes are good. Yeah, everybody knows. Yeah, everybody knows.
SPEAKER_05:That's uh that's uh such like a good that's a good food right there.
SPEAKER_04:They are good.
SPEAKER_00:They're bad for you, but they're good. I like a put a smile on your face, you're good. Like niche coins neutral canish. The kanish. Oh, the canish. Bro, I haven't had a kanish in decades, bro. Like seriously, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:And some mustard on that shit.
SPEAKER_04:You get a nice soup. Bro. And you get a salami sandwich with the deli mustard on it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Oh man. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Hell yeah. My mother used to order tongue. Tongue? Tongue. Yeah. Oh, I'm serious, bro. Yeah, I know you're serious. I see nasty. See you in the store window. I'm good.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. And the deli would have it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. They do.
SPEAKER_04:They do.
SPEAKER_00:They had some laid out in the freaking headquarters, bro. I'm good. It's crazy. Yeah, I'm good. It's amazing, right? That is insane. And the guilt. Today is news. Yeah. Exactly what you said. Today is news. That's what she looks like. Today's news. We didn't start a Hanukkah yet. Now go ahead. Let me say the guilt. Florida, man.
SPEAKER_04:Point or new or now chocolate.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, bro. I'm not going to front. So I had just like I maybe had one friend that I think was Jewish in school. And he had bought them in. Now, you know, public school in Brooklyn. And he brought in a bunch of those, like little bags, like his mom had given us. Right, and it was chocolate points, right? Bro, we did there was that was like breakfast, bro. We went with those. I remember those. Yes. Yeah, we went right through them things. It was great. It was great. And he was explaining some of it. But like I said, only now that you're talking about that, I remember a little bit of what he had said to some of this, you know. But I mean, elementary school, so it was a bunch of little kids. And like, so you get our present every day. You know what I mean? Like that kind of stuff. So for eight days. Yeah. So you saying it now, it's like, oh, okay, yeah, some of that makes sense. But yeah, those the gelts, bro, those are that's some good ass chocolate, too. Right. Yeah, I remember those a lot. That's some good.
SPEAKER_04:It's funny about Hanukkah growing up and celebrating it. You come to appreciate it later on the older you get because you understand there's a lot more to it, other than just the presence and everything, you know? Yeah. It's the food, it's the the purpose, the reason behind it. You know, there's symbolic in a sense. Yeah, bro. It's the family.
SPEAKER_00:You it's the family time, bro. Like, you know, you appreciate everybody. Yeah. So it's pretty cool. How much I get it. I get it.
SPEAKER_04:But don't mind. Don't get me wrong. We were not in any way remotely religious. Like there were times where she would make I remember her making my brother and I fast when we were kids on this one holiday. I can't remember which holiday way today you fast on, but forgive me. I apologize. That must have been insane.
SPEAKER_03:Anyway, and meanwhile, she's sitting there eating donuts in front of us. Oh no, you can't. Oh no, she thought you meet my brother. And she ate whatever she wanted.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, that's hilarious, man. Oh my god. Yeah. That is. Yeah. I could say it. That is great. Gravy, gravy, gravy. The Drado letters stand for a great miracle happened there. So I guess then that's what the So oh, so each character, I didn't know that they were letters on the on the Drado. I didn't know there were characters. I mean, I I didn't know that the characters were letters. Where are you looking? Right underneath what you read, underneath what we just did the traditions people know and why they exist. Underneath what the gelt, the coins, it says fun fact, the Drado letters stand for a great miracle happened there. I didn't know that. That's cool.
SPEAKER_04:Right. That's excellent. And then of course, Christmas, like we were talking earlier about Christmas versus Hanukkah. Right. Right. But it's not like that. Without making it weird, Hanukkah became more emphasized in modern times because Jews lived among Christians culturally visibly. Mm-hmm. Visibility. Religious hierarchy. Right. Thank you. Yeah. Now about competing holidays, which is not the case. They never I don't think they have it in any way. It's just Yeah. It's just the way it worked out. You know, it's just it is what it is. You know. And that shouldn't make the reason why you want to celebrate it anyway. You know what I'm saying? Like because one does one thing and the other. You know what I mean? Like that's you know, there's a lot more to what the actual holiday means. So some people look, there are people out there that are super religious. I'm sure it's even though it's still a fun night with them, I'm sure they do a lot more than what the norm is for us. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, definitely. Yeah, yeah. I'm with you. So I am with you.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, no. Hanukkah became more emphasized. Oh, we've read that already. Yeah. A thought-provoking angle. How minority traditions adapt without losing identity.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Yeah. So it's like it's again goes back. Then you know that's when they we have that twist because it's you know it's about the marketing of it, you know? Christmas for what it is, Hanukkah, you know how they how it's now, you know, it's getting promoted, and you know, it's now we see it more than we had, let's say 15 years ago. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like now it's like, oh, you know, you can get this menorah and you know, hang it here, be able to put it like this. Like now you see them on people's lawns, and it is super huge on the lawns. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like there's one over in uh New Windsor, bro. I don't know if you you don't drive that way, but there's a big one in front of a business. And I mean it's huge, bro. I go to New Windsor, bro. No, on the on 207 at the end of 300, you make that left. Is it a big silver one like? Like Yeah, it's on your right hand side. I think so. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:It's another one uh out by where Semen is. Not Seaman. I shouldn't even say the name. But one of the houses that we work at. Sorry.
SPEAKER_05:I'm so Siemen. I shouldn't say Semen.
SPEAKER_01:I sort of made it. I sort of made it. I was gonna say the actual name of the house that I want to do, but seamen.
SPEAKER_03:It's one of the houses unfortunately. That's the name of one of the hours. Yeah, like it's on the road. Semen Road. Yeah. Sorry. Sorry, sure. No, no, I felt right. I fell right into it. I didn't even think about it. Yeah. Because if it wasn't you, it would have been the other way around.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for sure. I'm sure it would. Sure. No doubt about it. Yo, that's funny as hell. But yeah, I think that's on the marketing tip, you know. I said Hanukkah, I mean, um, Kowanza, like, you know, is not promoted the same way like, you know, Hanukkah andor Christmases. You know what I mean? So many different Christmas time holidays.
SPEAKER_05:I think people compare it also like because like people celebrate we don't even know about, you know what I mean? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Say again, Tom. Sorry.
SPEAKER_05:I think the reason why people compare Hanukkah to Christmas, not only because it falls, I think because it just falls in that time of the year and like and people don't have that reference of like the our understanding of what it's about. So it's just like, oh, it's it's the you know, it's the same, you know, but it's really not. You know? No, it's not. It's not at all, actually. Yeah, no, no. And and that's what it is, yeah. You know, it but it's like it's just happen to fall on the same time, so it's like a gift-giving holiday. Rather is different films.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, it's like yeah, so it's changes every year. It's never on the same days like it is with Christmas.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Christmas always falls out on the 25th.
SPEAKER_00:On the 25th.
SPEAKER_04:Right. Right. Yeah. Not with Hanukkah. It could be before, after, or right on the same day sometimes. I've seen it happen. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Exactly. Close to it anyway. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So their calendar's a little different. Yeah. But I think that's all the religions. Oh, they're they're I think most of the calendar, date, the dates are different. They're a little bit off. You know what I mean? But still, either way, you know, it's still at the end of the year. You know what I'm saying? For all of those. Yeah. You know?
SPEAKER_04:Everybody gets their thing to do.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You know, it's another reason to hang out. That's all. It's another reason to be cool with your family, make amends, chill. You know, they said, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have poked you in your eye last year. But you know what? You know, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, you should have just given me that five dollars, it would have been good. That's why myself. Yeah, I just needed you, you know, you should just come through, just whatever. But yeah, no, it's to this should be the time of the year, like you said, you know, make nice with your family. You know what I mean? You know, we say this all the time.
SPEAKER_04:It's all about the decorations, all that shit. Forget about it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but you see, you like you're like, forget the family. I just want the decorations.
SPEAKER_04:I like the fact that you can put things up for a certain amount of time, and it changes everything. You come into the house, it's a little bit different. You know, it gives you you look forward to it too. When it gets closer to that time of the year, you know, for whatever holiday you celebrate, you look forward to putting up whatever you're selling, right? Right. You're on the hub. You think different?
SPEAKER_05:No, I I I like I like the decorations. It just it it's festive, you know, it's different. You walk in the house and you're like, oh, you know. Yeah. It's weird when they go, though, because it's so empty, especially like the Christmas tree. That takes up so much time. You know, some people, not to get too off topic because we're talking about Hanukkah, but some people have a tree year round and they have different holidays for Yeah, I know I've seen they decorate it for Halloween, they decorate it for Saint Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day. I'm like, Yeah, no, I'm Cinco de Mayo.
SPEAKER_03:You know, whatever.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. A bunch of coronas. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:It's actually not a bad idea when you think about it, because it just gives you an excuse to leave it up. So you say, you know what, I'll just celebrate every holiday for that month on there.
SPEAKER_00:Nah, I can't.
SPEAKER_05:I like the people that do that with the uh 12-foot skeletons.
SPEAKER_00:Well, see, but that's different. 12-foot skeletons. See, now I'm really getting off topic. Well, because it's a dress up. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:I think you buy 5X clothes for it, and if it's like 5X clothes.
SPEAKER_00:Well, wait, but would it be racist if I turn it around and I put, you know, and I decorated my my Halloween characters in in a Jewish dress?
SPEAKER_04:You mean like a sweater with a Jew with a Star David on it?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, okay. I would say that would put in the what's the name of the hat? Some people would be like, oh, the Yamakuca? Not the Yamaka. The Yamaku's the little.
SPEAKER_04:I don't know what the name of the hat is. Right, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Like would that be?
SPEAKER_05:I know it's Oh, those ones? Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:I think, if I'm not mistaken.
SPEAKER_00:I say I'm not trying to be disrespectful. I'm asking. I know that. If that would be a it would it be disrespectful to turn around. Because like I said, so right now I have the the skeleton and the jackal manifestation.
SPEAKER_04:I wouldn't put the hat on it.
SPEAKER_00:But I'm just saying, like for the different holidays, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_04:So I wouldn't put the yamaker on it. If it's wearing a sweater with a the star of David already on it, just put the yamaker on it. Right. Okay. Don't put the no, that's way ultra religious would be considered offensive. That's what I'm saying. You wouldn't be meaning to. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Like, I'm just trying to honor. And I would I would know where you were coming from, but not everybody knows you. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Hey, what the fuck? Yeah. And if they see it, it could be taken the wrong way. So I think the yamaker would be more than enough because it would be funny. It'd be like, yeah, so we're in the sweater, just without the yamaker on. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Rocking it. That'd be great. I still got him in my back seat, so you know.
SPEAKER_05:And then, you know, maybe he's holding up a banner that says happy Hanukkah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Something like that. Yeah. Right.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Right. Or there's something behind him that says happy Hanukkah. Or you got a menorah or something. Yeah. Because like in my car, I have right.
SPEAKER_00:That's what I'm saying. That would be freaking great. Like I said, that's what I'm asking. Like, what would be disrespectful? I don't want to be disrespectful. I just want to feel it. Well, I know for you. That's what I was asking. I'm saying yes. I'd be for you. If I was the other way around, I would probably do the same thing with you.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. I mean, I think I would be smart enough to know better, because I think I am, because I would never do anything that stupid, you know, to try to purp well, not purposely. If you did it by accident, that's one thing. Because you would just be in oblivious and not thinking of what you were doing until it actually happened. But then that's kind of sucks, you know. Well. Oh, but you're asking me, and I'm giving you advice. And I'm saying, if you do it that way, you're making it ultra-religious. And then you would have to say, okay, so do I put the black coat and everything else on the skeleton as well? Right. So now it gets really too much. Too much. Because it's a skeleton, and that's the outfit that they that ultra-religious wear, right?
SPEAKER_00:So now when I'm that could be perceived the wrong way because of the skeleton. That's not funny. Yeah, gotcha. Gotcha. Yeah, yeah. I don't know. No, no, that makes sense. I got you.
SPEAKER_04:So but if you did, you know, it was a funny looking thing, like, you know, he happened to you know, Hanukkah with a skeleton with a sweater on, like I I see a blue and white sweater with Star David in the middle of it with a yarmulker on. Right. To me, that's funny. That's not racist. Right.
SPEAKER_05:Right, right.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:And also it depends on who's putting it out.
SPEAKER_04:And I would know where somebody would be coming from if they did that, but it would be taken so out of context. It would be Yeah. At least I think I would think it would. I don't know. But as far as Hanukkah's concerned, I think you should I think times are changing. So you if you wanted to do something silly like that, I don't think it would be a big deal. And nowadays. You know what I mean? Like with the internet and all the social media, you can get away with that. And people would have a sense of humor. And uh I'm talking about the sweater and the yamaker. Right, right, right, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's come a long way, and you know, you know what? It's good. We do both. I put we put it in the window in my house and we have the tree. I love it all. I'm glad I do both. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty cool. So it's cool, you know. Uh but I've been doing it for a long time, you know, from since I've been born. So yeah. So it's interesting to do that. So of course, growing up and living like that, of course, you are subject to language that is unnecessary if you're with certain people and they decide to get pissed off you, you know. Growing up, my friends sometimes, if they wanted to be douchebags, they would they would, you know, call me they would call me, you know.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, out of name, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, name being douchebags. Um they were lucky they were my friends because only they could have got away with it.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Because you knew they were just talking junk messing with you, you know. Yeah, yeah, no. Yeah, it wasn't like, you know.
SPEAKER_05:Well, that's and back then that was like more than a lot of people. Yeah, but that's what we were acceptable, too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You would give it back to the hybrids anyway. Right, right, right, right. Yeah, you would just give it back.
SPEAKER_03:And and I'm sorry, this is the where I come from, that's what we would say to one another.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I wouldn't say that that's the verbiage you wouldn't.
SPEAKER_04:No, no, no, no. Well, wait a minute. But when we were growing up, that's what we would say to one another if you know if your father was Irish and your mother was Puerto Rico.
SPEAKER_00:For those people who know that from back in the day, Cher had a song. Cher had a song with Sonny and Cher called Happy. Oh, yeah, which one was it? Yeah, I don't remember. I can't think of the name of the side. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_03:You can't say her name and not know the song.
SPEAKER_00:The name of the song was Half Breed, wasn't it? Happy? Half Breed. Half breed, that's right. That was the name of the song. That's what I'm saying. That's right. That was the name of the song. Yeah. It was a cool song. I'm not gonna fucking run. That was a pretty cool song, you know, because I am so, you know. Hey, that's I think that's my my mantra, my thing.
SPEAKER_04:I'm multi-a multi-breed. How many different things do I have in me when I when I, you know, when you think about it? Mm-hmm. You do your s you do your uh background and you check your you have this, this, and this, yeah. This, this, this. So you're not one thing. Right. You're multiple things from different places from different times, you know, different generations. You know, it's like, who cares?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for real. You know what I'm saying? Seriously. No, I'm with you. I get it.
SPEAKER_05:I did the whole interest ancestry thing a few years ago. Yeah. What? And nothing came up as a surprise, except for the Dutch. I didn't know I had like a lot of Dutch. The Dutch. Like I have a lot of Dutch. Like, and the crazy part of my father's is crazy. Like the amount of like record keeping the Dutch did was like I like my they were like early, like they were like colonizers, you know. Right, right, right. They literally were like like 16, like they were like I have like an ancestor, like a tombstone from like the Reformed church of like first settlers like in Hackensack, New Jersey. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, and but and the the Dutch side was easiest to get record keeping because they keep all their genealogy records in their churches. Right. So it was crazy. Like I didn't even know any of that shit until I like looked it up from like rec because you back you go backwards, you go to your grandfather, and then you look up his grandparents, and then their grandparents and their grandparents splits and just keep splitting and this and that. Yeah. That's crazy. I was able to go all the way back to like Netherlands and Ger and then like and then those people were originally German and then they became Dutch, but like they were living there like a hundred years before they came here. So like they're technically Dutch. Right, yeah, you know, they're not German notes. We said that in the United States, like we're weird about that in the United States when you think about it. We're like, we're like, I have like ants my my Italian ancestors are like three generations back and uh and you know, some people will be like, I'm Italian American, but no, you're American. Like, you know what I mean? Like that's like three ancestors back. Yeah, can you even count that at that point? Yeah, you can I mean you could say have ancestry, but you're not like you know what I mean? I but if you grew up that way. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:You came with a family. No, I'm not talking about even now, kids who grow up with families who grew up, their parents were ultra, you know, from a certain area or whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Like you know, yeah, like yeah, like super Italian, even if they're like three generations.
SPEAKER_04:And if you are two, bro. Yeah, because yeah. I feel like you're right, all those generations, but I I still think people always go, yeah, my father was much.
SPEAKER_05:When it comes to like immigrants, like each generation kind of gets like the culture gets a little watered down on each generation. And like it depends on the parents, like they try to teach it, but like I feel like you just kind of like.
SPEAKER_04:Well your kids get married. Right. Then you have kids with that person. Yeah. It's a different family line. Right? Now you boom, you just started a new one. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Right? You combine then on and on and on.
SPEAKER_00:You know what I mean? So that's what happens. And that's how that's that's that's why I think you I mean, going back a little bit to say that the Hanukkah stuff, right? Why, like, you know, goes back. Why it's not back bigger, I guess we'll say, you know what I mean? Well, the spinning, but less colorful, I guess is what I'm saying, you know, than than than what it is. Right. You know what I'm saying? Because I mean, dude, you got eight nights, nobody's really pushing it. You know, Adam Sandler was the only one that was pushing it. You know what I mean? Eight crazy nights, you know, Hanukkah Sunker song. You know, things like that. Like he did all those kind of things, and he was bringing it up to the, you know, I guess we'll say trying to bring it up to the mainstream. You know what I'm saying? It's such a catchy song. Yeah, it is. It's a great song. It was great. He did a great job. So much funaka. Yeah, I remember when he first did it on SNL, bro.
SPEAKER_04:So yeah. Let me just talk about this real quick. So we'll go through this real quick. Festival of lights, celebrated for eight nights, right, commemorates a Jewish revolt around 165 BC E. All right? Christ wasn't even around yet. Right. Note the most important Jewish holiday religiously, but huge culturally. Okay. Hanukkah isn't a Jewish Christmas, it's the misconception when we just said that earlier. Right. Right, right. Right? Key angle for your show. Oh wow, I like this. Underdog versus We did this already, didn't we? Yeah. Yeah. This is what I was looking for. I apologize, people. Quick rapid fire. Here we go. Rapid fire. And Hanukkah mentioned in the Torah. Is Hanukkah mentioned in the Torah?
SPEAKER_05:No. I don't know. I would say no, because if it happened after it was written, right? It's post-biblical.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Yes. Why eight nights, oil mirac miracle? Right. Is it strictly religious? It's both religious and cultural. Can anyone celebrate? Anyone can sell appreciate what is rooted in Jewish history. Right. Want a custom touch if you want. I know she was just telling me other stuff. I was doing I did this through AI, so she wrote back to me. Yeah. Yes, she's a she because I have a she.
SPEAKER_00:Well, no, bro. Like I so I mean going back to what you're saying, you know, can anyone celebrate? I think anybody can. Of course. I mean, I don't celebrate Christmas, and I didn't and I like I'm all complicated, right?
SPEAKER_04:I'm adopted. Right. People I who raised you raised me. My mother was Jewish. My father was not. He converted. They weren't my natural parents. My natural parents came from different places. My mother came from Europe. My father, I think, was already here. Right?
SPEAKER_00:It's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. And there you go. That now you're able to enjoy two different, you know, holidays. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Right. You enjoyed them and made you a better person, you know. I I think that being culture aware.
SPEAKER_04:I'm sorry. But the two holiday parts came from my father's side because his brother, I used to go to May and Mickey's house. We used to say Mickey. I was Dan Mickey and Uncle Bill. Right. That's where we got the Christmas tree. That's where we bought the presents and did all the stuff. Right. I used to get my ass trucks. God, I should have saved them. Yeah, I know the tankers and stuff. We won't talk about that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um but that's the part I had, right? So I did have both worlds. It was cool because my father, even though he converted, still celebrated with his family when he was around them. That's culture. Which was great. Right. Yeah. You know, and I'm glad they shared that with me.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And then you think about it too. Think about, like you said, before with your friends, you know? Right. You'd say by the friends' houses before the holidays, you know what I'm saying? Or during, like, you know, before the last day of Hanukkah or or, you know, on Christmas Day, you were still hanging out with your friends, you know, you would go to their houses, see how their families got together. But what Italian thing is the Seven Fishes?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I think that is, right? Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We talked about that last time. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00:So then it's cultural.
SPEAKER_04:You know what I mean? It's like that's what they do, and you know. But I guarantee you if you go to a different place out of the United States, it's totally different than what we do here. Right. You know, it'd be like a culture shock to you. You probably be you probably get sick and have to go lay down or something.
SPEAKER_05:Well, because I wonder how they how they celebrate Hanukkah and like Israel. Oh, I'm sure they it's completely different, probably. Right.
SPEAKER_04:Still menorah. They're still saying that.
SPEAKER_05:No, but it's not like probably is it like commercialized like here? Like that's what we're saying. Like the Christ, very important. Like it's got that like Christmassy, like kind of like with the gifts.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I mean, think about it, bro, because everything that's over there, I'm sure it's got to be more religious. You know what I mean? Well, even though Israel, yes, because you have a lot of different cultures in the world. Yeah. So then the the the base of a lot of all these economies are religious. So then, you know, going over there to the man, it would be more, you know.
SPEAKER_04:There'd be many different ways it would celebrate. Yeah, I would say in Israel, for sure. You know. I would assume it's more religious.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:That's what I'm saying. Yeah, and some doing going, or maybe because you didn't have to go to the temple, right?
SPEAKER_00:Temple, no. You didn't have to go to temple for the each.
SPEAKER_04:You know, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever been in temple for Hanukkah.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Ever. Yeah, okay, see? So I don't ever remember that.
SPEAKER_04:So I wonder if that's how it needed to be. I've been in church at Christmas.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Yeah, that was wild, bro.
SPEAKER_04:That was like a stay for like 20 minutes. I was out of there.
SPEAKER_00:It was it was like, bro, yeah. Christmas, Christmas in church.
SPEAKER_04:It was Christmas Mess. Right.
SPEAKER_05:They do it at the Yeah, because there's like I would say an overwhelming majority of Christians only go on the holidays. They only go to church on the holidays. Like Christmas. And Christmas and Easter.
SPEAKER_00:That's exactly I've been to a couple of places for for the I guess they go to temple for it.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. Yeah. At least a majority of the ones in in my where I grew up, you know. Yeah. Right. I can't I can't speak for other places. Yeah. But you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00:Like Yeah, it's wild, bro. It's crazy. It's just I I think it's I almost wish I guess that we everybody w at one so at some point in time was able, would have been able, or even still now, you know, be able to go and celebrate, you know, the different the different holidays with people.
SPEAKER_04:When you do though, would you think about it?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I'm saying, like, you know, go and spend so like, you know, for us to turn around and we'll have, you know, you know, one of the eight crazy nights and you know, we're all over here with our families or whatever and we're hanging out with you, you know what I'm saying? I mean, we do Christmas, so we do like a rock, paper, scissors thing or whatever. Or be able to go to a friend that's, you know, doing Kowanza or somebody else that's doing, you know, whatever other, you know, holiday falls at this time of the year, you know, to be able just to experience it at least one time. You know what I mean? Like that would be really, really freaking groovy, you know? But I say that now that I'm older, you know, like, oh, that'd be great. When I was a kid, I was just all about running around. I wanted to, you know, in my 20s and teens. I was like, yo, I'm what are you talking about? I'm not going, I don't need to see cousin Matter of fact, call up cousin, you know, Vito, Tito, Tony, whatever, and you know, yo, come out, we're going to the club, and then poof, you know, get dressed and that's why I was for, you know, Christmas Eve, you know what I'm saying, kind of thing, or or whatever. You know what I'm saying? Like just going out and partying like that, you know, instead of enjoying the family the same thing.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, well, it wasn't time for that yet for you.
SPEAKER_00:Well, yeah, that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_04:Like, I would I mean we're young. Yeah, it was the way.
SPEAKER_00:You know what I'm saying? For the holidays and just celebrate.
SPEAKER_04:That's the other thing too with Hanukkah. You don't have to worry you don't have to stay home or it's not ultra religious. It's a fun day. You know, it's not meant to celebrate the purpose of what it means, you know, and you're thankful for that.
SPEAKER_00:Well, you have to be home at a certain hour to turn him around and light the candle and do the prayer.
SPEAKER_04:That's what I'm saying. Yes, the candle has to be lit at sundown.
SPEAKER_00:So everybody has to be home at sundown. Like the family don't have to be home. Oh, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_04:The menorah can be lit without them being there.
SPEAKER_00:So it's not like a ceremony that you know, it was just like, you know, mom turn around and just like she said, she would just say a small prayer.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Uh like a kiddish or something like that, I think if I remember correctly. I could be wrong. But yeah. But some people just light it. Like me, I have it in the window, and I do light the candles. I'll light one each night and I'll go through the whole eight. Those burn quicker. Super fast. Right. You know, they only last for like maybe God. Not long. Especially if I do the whole menorah. Right. So it might burn for maybe 30 minutes. It's that long. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So you gotta put a new candle in every day.
SPEAKER_04:I'm guessing. I'm gonna time it. I'm gonna time it just to be to see when I got it all loaded up. You gotta get the you gotta get the magic oil so it burns for eight days. That's what you need. So, but yeah, but think of how far back it goes. 150 B C E. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What is that? Now correct me. What is the E for again? The E I don't know. I'll look at the biggest. So they added that on. That's a newer. They changed that. Because it used to just be B C and A D. Right. B C and D D After Death and Before Christ.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and it's a no. No, after death wasn't it, it was an a non donin.
SPEAKER_04:No, for me it was after death.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, it was Latin. Well, that's how we know it later, but it was really it would that's what the uh the reality.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:What so you're not stuck yet? You're not stuck in the house with that. It's a fun night. Have a good time, open presence, eating food, joining people's company, maybe you know, taking a couple buffs, doing a drink. You know what I mean? It's the same thing. You're hanging out and you're supposed to feel good about it. You know, you're having a good time. Hanging out with family or a friend or whoever it might be. So here's the other thing, too. You may not think you celebrate it, but when you know other people, they might just give you a Hanukkah gift versus or give you both. They might give you both, you know. So you are technically being included when you think about it. So if you're getting a Hanukkah Hanukkah gift from somebody, then you know, you get your Christmas and your friend just gave you a gift, but he gave you a Hanukkah gift. You can give you a Christmas gift.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_04:So like, oh snap.
SPEAKER_00:All right, so dig it. Dr. Google, B C E stands for before common error, then B uh then to the traditional alternative to the traditional.
SPEAKER_05:I thought you said common error. I was like, what's erra? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And then, you know, it was the alternative to B C before Christ, right? C E common area is what it is, and then counterpart for years after year one, replacing A D, anodomini. I was saying I knew it was anodomini, I couldn't remember. But it was after death. Right, yeah. So, you know, depending on what you're following as far as religion or how you want to call it I had already from junior high school with that stuff.
SPEAKER_04:Right. Right, right, right, right. Because everything was well, everything you learned was at a certain period in time. Right. You know what I mean? So you had to know the dates, 10 B the whole thing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:You know. Yeah. Listen, man, Hanukkah's fun in the sense where there's many different things, like we said earlier. The food is one of the best things I think people like, you know. But it's also just something, you know, to I don't know. I don't really think about it, I just do it because I'm just so used to been doing it all my life. So I just go, you know, I gotta light them off.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. It's not a big deal, you know. You got me stuck on the Kanish because there was a place on 13th Avenue. There was a place on 13th Avenue in Brooklyn. Yeah, yeah. They used to just make nothing but nothing but Kanish. Right across the Street from Favor.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. Right across the Street from Favor I know exactly which wood. My parents used to go there all the time. Yes, man. Yes. Yes. That's all they sold.
SPEAKER_00:Matza ball soup was off the hook. Yeah, the matzo ball soup. The Kanishes were just amazing, bro. I'm telling you, I know. Yeah. Yeah. I went over there every once in a while. Yeah. When my mom didn't know I would sneak out there and stuff and go have a Kanish. You know? But they used to sell the Kanishes in in the city too. Like the hot dog carts. You took them all the time.
SPEAKER_04:You can get the round ones too. Yes. Katzes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Those were unbelievable. It took me a second.
SPEAKER_04:I said, yeah, yeah. Oh, Katzes. I can't have what she's having.
SPEAKER_05:The round ones. They were good. That was filmed at Katzes. Yeah. Katzes. When Harry met Sally. Yes. Oh, half what she's having. Great scene. That was great.
SPEAKER_00:But yeah, bro. I tell you that that I'm I'm, you know, I'm glad you're able, you were able to to and still do celebrate Hanukkah. You know what I'm saying? That's part of the Holy Spirit. You know, celebrate the holidays. Yeah. That's freaking awesome.
SPEAKER_04:I still that I still have certain things that I have that I, you know, kept for myself as far as who I am. You know what I mean? But no, I enjoy it. I love putting the decorations, I get the menorah out. My wife does. She loves it. It's always nice to come home and see all that stuff. Right. Yeah. So it's a little part of the time in the year that you can do it. And then yeah. Now we're back to back to real life again.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and that's cool too, that that Tanya does come, you know, and celebrates it with you like that. You know what I mean? Right. That she's there with you and she helps set up for it and make it look nice and purdy. Yeah. You know, because her Christmas stuff is freaking insane, dude. That yeah. This tree is so sick right now. That's crazy. Yeah. But yeah, man, that's that's awesome, bro. That is awesome. Now the with the with your kid, though.
SPEAKER_04:Hanukkah starts this Sunday. Starts this Sunday. Well, you will be seeing this or and listening to this podcast. Yes, that's great. Wednesday. Right, right. But it'll still be Hanukkah.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_04:Weird, man. Yeah. That's great. What?
SPEAKER_00:Does Robbie celebrate a little bit?
SPEAKER_04:I don't know. I they didn't much because they live with their mom. When they were with me, I did give them Hanukkah gifts. We also gave him Christmas gifts. Right. But yeah, no. That didn't happen at mom's house, not at all. No. I don't know if he does. Because he might a little bit. I don't know. That's a good question.
SPEAKER_00:Because usually everything's about Christmas. To be continued. You're gonna have to ask him. Find out. Text him right now. So Robbie! Did you send a doojoo? No.
SPEAKER_04:Don't forget to light your menorah.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, definitely. For shizzle my nizzle. All right. So with that, people appreciate everybody for coming in. Cool little thing. And thank you, Lou, for sharing your Hanukkah stories because, you know, those are some groovy ones. Whatever. I'm just saying, no, for real. Like letting us know, you know, and making this that, you know, we can talk about it, that is, you know. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, man. Definitely, bro. You know, telling us what you know about it and stuff. Hell yeah. That's groovy. I'm digging it. So I appreciate you. Yeah, I get it. You know, that wasn't a funny, that was for real. So with that, thank you all for listening, watching, like, follow, watch, share, good stuff. Share, subscribe, support that stuff.
SPEAKER_05:It helps us out. It does. Because you know what? If we can grow and grow and grow, we can be doing this more often. Yep. We can give you guys better quality content. Of course. You know, we can get more guests on the show. So, you know, please let up all those buttons. Yeah. Hit subscribe.
SPEAKER_00:Hit this like all of it. Come on the show. Be our guest. Be our guest. Yeah, that. All right. Well, good stuff. So with that, thank you very much for being here with us. Love, peace, and hair grease. Live long and prosper. And happy Hanukkah. Happy Hanukkah. Happy Hanukkah.
