Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

We have 8 different videos about Chanukkah for children, so you could watch a different one for every night of the holiday. Here is a quick rundown of them, the description taken from the covers.

Chanuka at Bubbe’s (30 minutes)

Kids of all ages will find pure enjoyment celebrating Chanuka at Bubbe’s. Join in a joyful romp with a host of colorful puppet characters. There is Anton the bully who insists on having things his way, Rhino who “horns” in before he understands the situation, Chester who tries too hard to fit in, practical Zachary, adorable Muffin and of course, Bubbe herself – everybody’s beloved grandmother. While this fascinating group prepares for the holiday feast we witness the past as Bubbe relates the story of Chanuka – the fight between the Greeks and the Maccabees – the miracle of the burning oil – the importance of religious freedom for all people.

A Chanukah Mitzvah (30 minutes)

The entire family is looking forward to another wonderful Chanukah – except for David who would rather play the part of Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer in the upcoming scool play. But when their magical friend Mitzvah Mouse introduces them to Judah Maccabee (Don Diamont), David and his sister Rachel join the Maccabee army to make sure that the light of Judaism is forever kindled.

Lights: A Hanukah fable about then and now (24 minutes)

On one level, this animated video is a charming retelling of the Hanukah story, the struggle of a people to maintain their religious beliefs and observances in the face of adversity. On another level, it addresses the issue of religious freedom and “the right to be different.” Children will enjoy watching the program, with its colorful animation and beautiful music.

Lovely Butterfly Chanukah (24 minutes)

Join puppets Butz and Uza along with their human friends Ronnie (Uzi Hitman) and Effl (Effl Ben-Isreal) in songs and stories about the traditions surrounding this holiday known as the “Festival of Lights’. Participate In a kindergarten Chanukah party, spin the dreidel and learn–first hand–who ‘Latkes’ were made with the help of Karen Cutting Board and company.

A Rugrats Chanukah (30 minutes)

It’s Chanukah the Rugrats way: Tommy the Macabee, an ancient idol named Cynthia (isn’t that the name of Angelica’s favorite doll?), and Stu’s own turbo-charged menorah, which promises to bring down the house in every sense. This very good holiday special will certainly satisfy Rugrats fans, but also has crossover appeal to anyone looking for a very funny holiday program.

Shalom Sesame: Chanukah (30 minutes)

Don’t miss the fun as Shalom Sesame celebrates the “Festival of lights!” Journey with Jeremy Miller on a trip down memory lane to ancient Modin -the land of the Maccabees! Play an exciting r round of Dreidel of Fortune with everybody’s favorite host Lavana White! Watch as Joan Rivers, Alan King, Nell Carter and Joshua Rifkind pay special tribute to a famous little Chanukah hero. Moishe Oofnik, the grouchy gourmet, creates his own Chanukah specialty – jellyfish doughnuts! And tune in to the Rechov Sumsum World of Sports as Kippi becomes the first porcupine to finish the Chanukah torch run to Jerusalem!

There’s no such thing as a Chanukah bush, Sandy Goldstein (23 minutes)

Robin is a young Jewish girl who desperately wants a Chanukah bush, which, according to her Jewish classmate is “like a Christmas tree… but it’s for Jews.” Robin’s mother says no to the Chanukah bush, but does allow Robin to accompany her grandfather to his union’s Christmas party. Robin is confused, until Grandfather lovingly explains the difference between celebrating something because you believe in it, and helping friends celebrate something because they believe in it. Chanukah Bush teaches children to honor the differences between cultures, to take pride in their own heritage, and to share their traditions with others.

As you can see the picture below our DVD collection grew significantly. Now we have about 30 feature films for you to choose from. Each of them will be introduced one by one on this blog, but you can start borrowing them right away.

The great reorganization of our VHS is also finished. The photo below shows how our VHS tapes are organized on the news shelves. On the top right you see the feature films and on the top left the films with music, including musicals, song collections, sing-a-longs, and individual artists’ concerts. On the second shelf from the top are all the tapes created for children and their families. The bottom two shelves have the most extensive part of our VHS tape library: the documentaries. We are hoping that this separation by topic will make it easier for to you pick up a tape or two that interests you.

Now that the Olympics are over in Beijing I feel more comfortable recommending two Olympics related items. In general Jews did rather well on Olympics both before and after the state of Israel was established. Unfortunately the items we have do not celebrate these accomplishments, but commemorate two stark Olympics. First we have a picture book on the Nazi Olympics, Berlin 1936, by Susan D. Bachrach. It was published by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. We learn from 130 pages and through hundreds of pictures not just how the event looked, but also what went on in the words of politics. It is a serious history book, which details the various constituencies who organized and made the event possible, despite numerous calls for boycott. It also shows how the Nazis used the games fro their own political purpose.

We also have a VHS tape documenting the “1972 Olympics Slaughter at Munich.” It is a recording from 1992 and not the 2005 film by Steven Spielberg. It covers how the Black September group killed 11 Israeli athletes during the games in Munich and then what happened to the terrorists themselves. While we are in the process of getting a DVD copy of the feature film I recommend to check the story’s documentary description.

Besides reading for the Camp Chai campers about Israel I also looked through our video collection on the same topic. Here are some of the VHS tapes we have:

Shalom Sesame Show 2: Tel Aviv

This 30 minute episode of Sesame Street–the popular, educational children television show–introduces Tel-Aviv. “Grab onto your nearest Sesame Street friend and join Itzhak Perlman for a tour of his hometown – Israel’s busiest city, Tel Aviv. Spend a day in the bustling Carmel Market, the ancient port of Jaffa, and the lively Tel Aviv beach.” This was shown Friday Camp Chaiers.

Getting Jerusalem together: Your historical guide to Jerusalem throughout the ages

From the cover: “The sites and events that have shaped modern history. An inspiring 30 minute video program for the entire family. A full color sound video program on the history and development of Jerusalem. A professionally photographed and narrated film that will heighten your understanding and deepen your appreciation of this historic city. You are actually reliving a dramatic and unforgettable reconstruction of 3,000 years of history.” Having watched the tape I have to agree, that it is rather professionally prepared. The models, drawing and other representations of the past of the city were well combined with contemporary footage. Together they did enhance my understanding of what the city meant in the past and how it developed its current architecture and characteristics.

Israel sings: Sing with us throughout the land of Israel

This amazing tape includes 58 of the most popular Israeli (and religious Jewish) songs. About half of the songs are shot in concert or indoor settings. But the rest are indeed, as the subtitle suggests, are showing various scenes from Israeli life, people walking on the street, eating in cafes and enjoying themselves everywhere. Thus the tape should be mentioned in this list about Israel, even if the primary focus is the songs. The lyrics of the songs are showing their original Hebrew, so you could sing along or learn them. In case your Hebrew is not fast enough to follow the text, you can also read the transliterated (phonetic) lyrics. The tape comes with booklet containing both versions of the lyrics and a few lines about each of them in English as well.

Israel: A nation is born

This 5 hour chronicle of the birth and development of the Jewish state is hosted and narrated by former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Abba Eban who also hosted the series’ predecessor, “Heritage: Civilization and the Jews”. Eban, who played a pivotal role in realizing the dream of a Jewish state, points out that “the series is designed to provide an essential context to an inspiring human story.” Among those featured in interviews and rare archival footage are U.S. Presidents Harry Truman and Richard Nixon, world leaders Winston Churchill, David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Menachim Begin, Anwar Sadat, Yithak Rabin, and Boutros Boutros Ghali. Together with Eban’s first hand testimony this series achieves a diverse perspective of both the Arab and Israeli experience. According to Eban “Israel: A Nation is Born” is a “depiction of the turbulent and dramatic history of Israel, through the conflicts and tensions of five decades, climaxing in the brighter prospects of Arab/Israeli peace.”